TOW They Make It
by SFGrl
Summary: The story of Ross and Chandler's college band, after they hit the big time!! {complete}
1. The Set Up

Okay, so I had this weird idea after watching "The Chris Isaak Show" on Showtime(which you should all check out, btw!)  
It's totally ridiculous, but just go with it, okay?  
I own pretty much none of these characters....  
  
  
TOW They Make It  
  
The Set up: Ross and Chandler's college band got a record deal. "Emotional Knapsack" was a huge hit.  
They are selling millions of records, and are superstars. Joey is also in the band. Monica is their manager, and Rachel is   
their wardrobe designer. They do not know Pheobe. No one is dating anyone at this point.  
  
Minneapolis  
  
Ten years on the road, and Chandler still hungered for the roar of the crowd. And tonight's crown did not disappoint him.  
When the band took the stage that night, the stadium exploded, and the rafters literally shook. Chandler picked up his  
guitar, his blue eyes gleaming, and gave the Minnesota fans a show they'd never forget.  
  
Sitting in the dressing room after the show, Chandler and Ross could still hear the crowd chanting. They'd been offstage  
for 20 minutes. Ross popped open his second beer, and gulped it down.  
"That crowd is incredible!" Monica said, as she and Rachel came in.  
"Tell me about it," Ross said, "They are *still* out there!"  
"So, what's next on the agenda, Mon?" Chandler asked.  
Monica looked at her clipboard, something that she always had with her. Chandler once joked that her relationship with  
her clipboard was the longest she'd ever had.  
"Um, Detroit tomorrow, Chicago on Thursday, then back to New York on Friday to do Letterman."  
"Letterman! Cool!," Joey said, as he passed through the dressing room, with two groupies on his arm.  
"Didn't we just do Letterman?" Ross asked.  
"That was Conan." Monica replied.  
"Right."  
"Well, I'm takin' a shower," Chandler said, stading up, "I stink."  
"Yeah ya do!" Monica joked.  
"Oh yeah?"Chandler said, running over to Monica. He threw his arm around her head.  
"Take a whiff of THIS baby!!"  
"Ew ew ew!" Monica struggled to free herself from Chandler's death-grip-of-stench.  
Chandler let her go and laughed triumphantly as he headed for the shower.  
"I'll get you back Bing!" Monica yelled.  
  
*  
  
Joey layed in bed, with two women sleeping next to him. He sighed and sat up. He'd had hundreds of  
nights like this one. He never thought that all the sex and partying would get old, but it had.  
He longed to have a real, significant relationship for once. He had girls throwing themselves at him  
all the time, but he knew they were only into the fame and money. How was he going to find someone who   
wanted him for who he was, not what he was?  
  
*  
New York City  
  
Phoebe really did not want to go to this concert. Her friend Abby had an extra ticket, and so she'd  
agreed to go, on the condition that they wouldn't be out all night.  
She wasn't really familiar with the band, mostly because her taste in music was  
anything but mainstream. Most of the bands she listened to were the type that filled small  
clubs and cafe's, not the type that filled stadiums.  
  
After the show, Phoebe and Abby headed for the parking lot.   
"Abby," Phoebe said, "the car is this way."  
"I know," Abby said, as she walked toward a large steel door.  
Phoebe rolled her eyes. "What?"  
Abby knocked on the door softly. It opened, and a dark-haired woman poked her head out.  
"Hey Ab!" She whispered.  
"Hey Janice."   
"C'mon," Janice said, "Hurry up."  
Abby and Phoebe snuck in behind Janice, and started walking down a narrow corridor.  
"Abby!" Phoebe hissed, "What the hell is going on??"  
"Janice is a freind of mine from school. She is dating Chandler Bing!!"  
"Who?"  
"The *lead singer*!!"  
"Oh."  
"Shhh!" Janice said, as they approached the dressing room door.  
  
*  
  
Monica had Chandler pinned to the couch, trying to feed him something he obviously did not want to eat.  
"Monica, get OFF of me!!"  
"No way, Chandler. I *owe* you!"  
"Chandler", Ross interrupted, "Janice is here."  
Chandler groaned and rolled his eyes, as Monica slowly got off of him.  
He had made the mistake of sleeping with Janice once, and now he could not get rid of her.  
She was under some kind of warped delusion that they were dating.  
  
Monica did not like Janice. She knew that Janice only wanted Chandler for his money.  
She was a gold-digging groupie, and she was sooooo annoying.  
  
Janice entered with two other girls. Chandler didn't recognize either of them. One was very  
pretty, but totally bald. The other was also very pretty, though she looked extremly bored.  
Chandler guessed that she was brought here against her will. Janice walked over to Chandler,  
and threw her arms around him, dramatically, in a lame attempt to show-off to her friends.  
"How's my little Bing-a-ling?" She cooed.  
Chandler smiled half-heartedly, and pulled Janice off of him.  
"Hey Janice."  
"What are we doing tonight?"  
Chandler looked to Monica, a look of desperation in his eyes.  
"Actually," Monica cut in, "Chandler has to do that interview with Rolling Stone right now."  
"Oh," Janice said, disappointed. "Oh, well, I can wait."  
Chandler rolled his eyes, as he and Monica left the dressing room.  
  
*  
  
Rachel sat down next to Ross, who was now on his fourth beer.  
"Ross," she said, touching his arm, "Don't you think you should slow down a bit?"  
Ross shot Rachel a strange look.  
"What do you mean?"  
Rachel sighed in frusteration. She liked Ross so much, but lately his drinking was getting out of control.  
She stood up, and wandered to the dressing table, struggling to find something to distract her.  
Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Ross being joined on the couch by a bald girl, who happily took  
the beer that Ross offered her.  
  
Monica and Chandler found a quiet corner in the back of the now-emptied stadium. Chandler sunk down into a chair,  
and plopped his head onto Monica's shoulder.  
"I gotta find a way to get rid of her," Chandler said, referring to Janice.  
"She is at *every* show!" Monica said.   
"I'd tell her off, but she knows SO many people...." Chandler sighed.  
"The wonders of the internet," Monica said flatly. She looked over at Chandler, who had his eyes closed.  
She brushed the hair off of his forehead and rested her head on his. She closed her eyes, and revelled  
in this rare moment of privacy she got to share with her best friend.  
  
*  
  
Joey walked in and saw a pretty blonde sitting alone in the corner of the dressing room. Ross was busy making out with a bald girl,   
and no one else seemed to be around.  
"How you doin'?" Joey said, more out of habit than anything else.  
"Hey," Phoebe mumbled.  
"I'm Joey Tribbiani"  
"Pheobe."  
Joey was baffled by this girl. She seemed so disinterested. She didn't respond at all when he told her his name.  
He found her indifference intriguing.  
  
Phoebe sat there, bored out of her mind. She knew this guy was just trying to be nice, but she wasn't interested.  
She just wanted to go home.  
  
*  
  
okay, so that's the set up. Let me know what you think, and i can continue.......  
  
  
  
  



	2. Breaking Up Isn't So Hard To Do

Okay, before I start this one I should clarify that I am not indicating any kind of time lapse in the traditional sense. When you see the name of a city at  
the top of a paragraph, just assume that some amount of time has passed. How much time is insignificant at this point of the story.  
I own none of these characters, etc etc.  
  
New Orleans  
  
It was hot and muggy, and Chandler was miserable. He just wanted to go home and sleep. This damn flu wasn't going away, and   
he really did not want to force the band to cancel the Atlanta show.  
There was a knock on his hotel room door. Chandler jumped up, hoping that it was Monica with his cold medication. No such luck.  
"Janice," Chandler said dejectedly, "What do you want?"  
"I heard my little Bing-a-Ling was feeling under the weather, and I wanted to come cheer him up!" She threw open her coat to reveal  
a very thin neglegie.  
"Uh, Janice" Chandler said quietly, "We need to talk."  
  
Monica was walking down the hall, headed for Chandler's room. She'd purchased every type of cold medicine the drug store had.  
As she approached Chandler's room, she could hear screaming. She stood at the door, trying to hear what was happening.   
She debated about whether or not to knock. Suddenly, the door flew open, and Janice came flying out.  
"I hate you!" She yelled back at Chandler, as she stormed out, oblivious to Monica's presence.  
  
Monica poked her head into the door, and saw Chandler lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling.  
"So, Janice took that well," she said, walking in.  
"Oh, yeah. She's such a mellow girl." Chandler stated sarcastically.  
"How are you feeling?" Monica asked, not wanting to dwell on Janice any longer.  
"Eh." Chandler said, then started coughing uncontrollably.  
"We're cancelling Atlanta." Monica said, pouring Chandler a glass of water.  
"No, I'm okay."  
"We're cancelling Atlanta."  
  
*  
  
Janice was furious. He was just dumping her? Just like that? She couldn't believe that he said that they weren't actually even  
dating! "I'm gonna get you for this Chandler Bing," she thought, "If it's the last thing I do."  
  
*  
  
Ross woke up with a killer hangover. He couldn't even remember getting back to his room last night. He tried to sit up, but the room  
was spinning. He suddenly felt the overwhelming urge to throw up.  
  
*  
  
Rachel contemplated whether or not to knock on Ross' door. She wanted to make sure that he was okay, but he had puked on her twice  
last night, and she was running out of outfits. She took a deep breath, and knocked softly.  
Ross opened the door, and was happy that it was only Rachel on the other side.  
"Hi" he breathed onto her.  
Rachel took one whiff of his breath, and tried not to let it show how disgusted she was by it.  
"How are you feeling?"  
"Like death." Ross mumbled, as he walked back into his room.  
Rachel followed him in.  
"Can I get you anything?"  
"Pills." Ross groaned, flopping down onto the bed. "I need pills."  
Rachel shook her head. She wondered if all of this was even worth it. Ross didn't seem to care about her. Why did she care so much?  
  
*  
  
Joey felt bad that Chandler was sick, but he was happy to have a few days off. The tour had been grueling, and he just wanted to sleep.  
He started packing his bag. He was looking forward to getting back to New York. He was aching for some good pizza.  
He also hoped that he would get a chance to find Phoebe again.  
  
*  
  
New York City  
  
As the week went on, Chandler only got worse. Monica finally decided that he needed to be admitted into the hospital.  
The doctors diagnosed him with severe dehydration, and a mild case of pnuemonia. Once word got out that Chandler was in the hospital,  
fans camped themselves outside of what was rumoured to be his hospital room window.   
"Have you seen all of the people out there?" Monica said, looking out of Chandler's window.  
"Well, they won't let me out of this bed, so...no." Chandler whispered.  
"They won't leave!" Monica said. "They've been out there for three days."  
Chandler looked at Monica, as she peered through the window. Standing in the moonlight, she looked like a small child.  
He smiled. She was the one person in his crazy world that he could count on. She was the only person who understood him.  
As the lead singer, he often took the brunt of both the praise and the critisism. He was usually the one who had to take care  
of the interviews for the band as well, which at times was frusterating. He often resented the fact that he was forced to work,  
while Ross and Joey were off sightseeing in whatever city they happened to be in. He had been to hundreds of cities, but he rrarely  
got to see much. He sighed, knowing that they guys were off screwing around right now.  
"You okay?" Monica said, turning to him.  
"Yeah," Chandler said, looking up at Monica. "Thank you."  
"For what?"  
"For always being here."  
"That's what manager's are for," she said, sitting on Chandler's bed.  
"Well, it's a good think I pay you then, huh?"  
Monica laughed. "You don't have to pay me to hang out with you," Monica thought to herself.   
Out loud she said, "Yeah, well, I could use a raise."  
"Sure, hit me up for a raise while I'm all doped up," Chandler said.  
"Hey, I'm no fool," Monica laughed.  
"No, you're not," Chandler said, his mood suddenly turning serious. "in fact, you are one of smartest, most beautiful people I know."  
"Well," Monica said, trying not to feel flustered, "Now I *know* those drugs are kicking in!"  
Before Chandler could reply, Monica got up, and grabbed Chandlers' water pitcher.  
"I'm gonna get you some water," she said, and walked into the corridor.  
Once outside of his room, Monica leaned up against the wall, trying to gain her composure.  
"Get a grip Monica," she told herself. "It's not like he knows what he is talking about. He's on three different kinds of medication."  
She sighed, and walked down the hall, hoping that she was wrong.  
  
*  
  
Rachel was sitting in the coffee shop, sipping a latte. Her mind was on Ross. He was at his condo, sleeping off another binge.  
"Is anyone sitting here?"  
"hmmm?" Rachel said blankly.  
"Wow, where are you?"  
Rachel blinked back to reality, and saw a handsome stranger looking at her intently(That's right, it's Brad Pitt BAYBEE!)  
"Uh, I...um"  
The stranger laughed, and sat down on the overstuffed green chair.  
"I'm Kevin."  
"Rachel."  
"I, um, I didn't mean to interrupt your daydream."  
"No, no," Rachel said, captivatied by Kevin's remarkable eyes, "You didn't interrupt a thing."  
  
*  
  
Salt Lake City  
  
Three weeks later, the band was back on the road. The crowd in Salt Lake City was as wild and crazy as any other.  
As they sat in the dressing room, Monica reviewed the upcoming few weeks.  
"So, we have Las Vegas, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, LA, and San Diego." She said, flipping through the papers on her clipboard.  
"Vegas BAYBEE!" Joey yelled.  
"Joey," Ross said, "shut UP!"  
"Kiss my ass Ross!" Joey yelled back.  
"Hey, come on you guys," Chandler said.  
"Oh, we'd better listen to Mr. King-of-the-world Bing!" Ross said sarcastically.  
"What is your deal, Ross?" Chandler asked, becoming increasingly irritated.  
Ross was about to reply, when a security guard and a SLC police officer came in.  
"Folks, we need you to evacuate the building." said the officer.  
"What is it?" Monica asked.  
"We've just received a bomb threat. The caller said it was in this room."  
"What?"  
"C'mon, let's go. We don't know how much time we have."  
The gang stood up, and started filing out the door. They froze, when they heard the faint sound of a bell going off.  
  
  



	3. Giving In To The Inevitable

Sorry it took me so long to do this one...I've been all wrapped up in TOW The Key, and kinda neglected this one.   
Anyhoo, here is the next part--these characters aren't mine. Well, except for the fire inspector...and Kevin.  
They are mine, I own them. copyright 2001. LOL.  
  
"Let's GO!"  
The guard led the panicked group through the darkened, emptied corridor.  
They passed a group of masked, armed men on their way out of the building. They were all led to the other end of the parking lot.  
They waited for an explosion, but it never came.  
  
"It looks like a false alarm." The fire chief said an hour later.  
"We found this underneath the so-called bomb," he said, handing Monica a piece of paper.  
Monica unfolded the paper, and saw groups of letters, scrawled across the top: yOU WilL BE miNE.  
Her brow furrowed in confusion. Was it some kind of riddle? Chandler appeared behind her, and looked at the paper.  
His heart skipped a beat.  
"Do you think that that's aimed at us?" he asked.  
"I hope not!" Joey exclaimed.  
Monica looked again at the note, trying hard not to show how worried she was.   
"Well," Ross said, "At least it was a fake bomb."  
  
  
New York City  
  
Not much was said over the next few weeks about the incident in Salt Lake City. It was always on Monica's mind, but she didn't want the others to panic.  
Maybe it was a one-time thing. Maybe it was a weird coincidence. The police weren't much help, since it was a false alarm.   
Once the band arrived back in New York, they went their own seperate ways, desperately needing a break from each other. Monica missed hanging out with her  
friends, especially Chandler. She decided to call him.  
"Hey Mon," Chandler said, picking up on the second ring.  
"How'd you know it was me?"  
"Caller ID."  
"Ah. Well, erm, I was wondering if, um..." Monica tried to think of a viable reason for calling him.  
"Yes?" Chandler said.  
"Have you, um, heard anything from the police about the bomb scare?"  
"No....I thought you were handling all of that."  
"I am, but I thought maybe they may have contacted you, ya know, for questioning."  
"Why, am I a suspect?" Chandler joked.  
"No, you're a WITNESS..." Monica suddenly picked up on his sarcasm, and felt her face turn red with embarassment.  
"Hey," Chandler said casually, "You wanna go get something to eat? I am boooored!"  
"Yeah, okay."  
"I'll be over there in 20 minutes."  
"Ok"  
Monica hung up the phone. She couldn't understand why she all of the sudden felt so nervous talking to Chandler.   
She'd never had trouble talking to him before. And it wasn't like they were going out on a date. They were just friends.  
And colleagues. She shook her head, and decided to get ready to go.  
  
  
*  
Pheobe was sitting at a table in her favourite coffee shop, fiddling with a Times crossword puzzle. She was so engrossed in her  
own thoughts, she didn't see the man standing in front of her. She nearly jumped out of her chair when he addressed her.  
"Pheobe?"  
She looked up, and silently cursed herself for actually being happy to see Joey Tribbiani again.  
"Joey, hi."  
"Is this seat taken?"  
"Um, no."  
Joey sat down, and ordered a regular coffee, black. Phoebe grinned. She thought that all those rich and famous folks drank cappuccino's and latte's.  
"I'm not bothering you, am I?" Joey asked.  
"Huh? no, no not at all." She tried to focus on the conversation, and not the fact that she was reluctantly attracted to him.  
  
The conversation lasted for over two hours. They were interrupted two or three times by eager fans, and Phoebe was impressed with  
the way that Joey handled them. He was gracious and friendly. He asked the fans questions, and was always willing to answer any of theirs.  
Phoebe had definitly mis-judged this one. She smiled, and hoped that she would be able to see him again.  
  
Joey was on cloud nine. Not only had he found Phoebe again, he'd had a terrific conversation, and she even gave him her phone number!  
He was so happy he broke into a full run through Central Park.  
  
*  
Rachel couldn't stop smiling. She'd been dating Kevin for three weeks, not including the weeks she had been on the road with the band.  
Kevin was the complete antithesis of Ross. He was sensitive and caring, and he actually paid attention to her.   
The phone rang, causing Rachel to jump.  
"Hello?"  
"Rach?"  
"Ross?"  
"Uh, what-whatareyadoin?"  
"Um, nothing-why?"  
"Can you come pick me up?"  
"Sure. Where are you?"  
"Uh, in jail."  
"What?"  
"I...I can't explain it right now. Can you come get me before the press find out about this?"  
Rachel sighed heavily. "I'll be right there."  
She hung up, and dialled Monica's cell phone.   
  
Rachel, Monica and Chandler arrived at the police station 30 minutes later, only to find that the press, and several fans  
had already camped themselves outside the station.  
"Dammit!" Monica said, "We need to do some damage control."  
"Maybe I should talk to the press," Chandler suggested.  
"I think we need to find out what Ross did first," Rachel said dryly.  
Chandler and Monica looked at Rachel, then each other. This was *not* going to be pretty.  
  
Okay....tell me what you think! And stay tuned for the next installment!  
--What did Ross do?  
--What's going to happen between Joey and Pheobe?  
--Monica and Chandler?  
--The return of *gulp* Janice??  
--With special surprise guest stars!! 


	4. Behind The Music Special, Part One

TOW They Make It Special: Behind The Music  
  
So, I was watching VH1's Behind the Music of No Doubt, and I got this idea. This goes along with the story I am working  
on, but is NOT the next part in the series. Chapter 4 will be posted soon!!  
  
Okay, now to understand this one, it's probably best that you watch(or have at one time seen) VH1's Behind The Music. If you've  
never seen it....what the heck is wrong with you? It's one of the best shows on television? Anyhoo, this is written like a Behind The Music  
episode on Chandler and Ross' band.  
  
  
**Narrator: They were one of the most popular bands of the 90's, and as we begin a new milleniuum, they are showing no sign of slowing down.  
Formed in a college dorm room nearly 12 years ago, they have seen each other through the tough times, and nearly fallen apart twice.  
But their strength is in their friendship, which is as solid as their music. On the eve of the release of their seventh studio album, VH1 takes  
a look at PMQ, Behind The Music.  
  
**Opening Sequence**  
  
**Narrator: New York University, October, 1987. A young keyboardist sat in his cramped dorm room, annoying his neighbors with the synthesized sounds of   
dog's barking and helicopter propellers. Most students thought the skinny Paleontology major was just making noise, but to a young guitarist, it was just  
the kind of creativity he had been looking for. The keyboardist, Ross Geller, never thought he could turn his hobby into a career. That was until he met   
Chandler Bing.   
  
**Ross Geller: I used to play my music for other people, but I just always assumed that it would be my hobby. I mean, Paleontology was a more   
practical career choice at the time, ya know? But then I met Chandler, and he was so passionate about his music. And he was the first person to   
tell me that I had true talent.  
  
**Chandler Bing: I knew the talent was there. It was just hidden way way deep down in there (laughs). I knew that once we  
got rid of the barking and sirens, we could really do something.  
  
**Narrator: And do something they did. Along with drummer Phil Vincent and bass player Chris Salman, the foursome booked small club dates  
and school functions. Bing's offbeat songwriting and smooth voice made him a campus favourite among males, while the females fell for his  
movie-star good looks. The band was soon playing almost every night, and found it difficult to keep up with school and music.  
Against the wishes of their parents, the band quit NYU in their senior year, to focus on their passion.  
  
**Judy Geller: I couldn't believe it when Ross told us he was quitting college! I mean, he is the smart one in the family, the one who   
was supposed to be good, and responsible. It was very frusterating.  
  
**Narrator: Although they were a popular band on campus, PMQ were about to be hit hard with the reality that life as a starving musician  
wasn't all that it was cracked up to be.  
  
**Commercial**  
  
**Narrator: Chandler, Ross, Phil and Chris became a huge hit locally, and decided to quit college to persue their dreams.  
But once they were out in the real world, they found that finding an audience was much tougher than it had been in Greenwich Villiage.  
For the next several months, the foursome struggles to find their voice, and to find their audience.   
  
**Chandler: I think that we had all considered quitting and going back to NYU at one point or another. But then we would all talk about  
how we needed to stick together to make it work...that made it a little tougher to leave.  
  
**Narrator: The band was going nowhere. And each member of the band was forced to take on a part-time job just to survive.  
  
**Ross: At one point, I think we were all living in a studio apartment. Four guys, in one tiny room. But we hardly ever saw  
each other, because Phil and I worked during the day, while Chandler and Chris worked nights. We rarely had time to rehearse  
anymore, and the music was getting stale. Chandler wasn't writing much, and the old stuff was getting boring.  
  
**Narrator: Chandler was going through severe writers block, but inspiration was just around the corner. And while Chandler  
tried to find himself, Phil found a new passion. When Behind The Music continues.   
  
**Commercial**  
  
**Narrator: With Chandler Bing going through writer's block, and reality hitting the band in the face, Phil Vincent found solice  
in a vice that would soon spin out of control; gambling.  
  
**Chris: Phil would disappear for days at a time, and then reappear with a load of money and stinking of alcohol. It was bad for the band,  
but I think that secretly, we all needed him to bring in that money, because we all had sh*%ty jobs.  
  
**Narrator: Phil's gambling did disrupt the band. While they all struggled to keep Phil from going off the deep end, Chandler found inspiration  
in a woman who would become subject of Chandler's first original song in over a year and a half-her name was Kathy Rigbey.  
  
**Chandler: I met Kathy at a diner that me and the guys started going to a lot. She was a struggling actress back then, and had to wait tables to   
help pay the rent. You know how it goes. We hit it off right away. I'd say she was my first real love.  
  
**Kathy Rigbey: Those guys would come into the diner every day, talking about their music, and their band. I always  
thought they were obnoxious. Chandler came in by himself one day, and we really hit it off. He's a great guy.  
  
**Chandler: The relationship lasted almost a year. That's an eternity for me, ya know? She ended up cheating on me,   
and it took me a long time to get over that. But I credit her with breaking my writer's block.   
I wrote a lot of stuff over the next few months. "Emotional Knapsack" is about Kathy.  
  
**Narrator: "Emotional Knapsack" became the song that would propell the band to superstardom. But before that could happen,  
PMQ had to get their own act together. It was time to give Phil an ultimatum. His gambling was now out of control, and his   
constant absence was hindering the band. He either needed to clean up or get out. For Phil, it wasn't even a choice.   
He was hooked on gambling. He walked out on his friends, and his dreams, and PMQ suddenly found themselves in need of a drummer.  
Enter Joey Tribianni, a young drummer from Queens, who answered an ad that Chandler had put out 2 weeks earlier.  
He was not the most talented drummer who auditioned for the band, but he hit it off with all of the guys immediately.  
  
**Joey Tribianni: I thought that these guys were really cool. We hit it off right away, and I thought that if I could get into  
this band I could score with lots of chicks. So I was happy they picked me.  
  
**Narrator: With their new drummer and their new songs, PMQ hit the road, playing small clubs and bars all over the tri-state area.  
One night, while playing a small bar in lower Manhattan, they were approached by a young record producer, who was in town  
to see a different band. Fate was playing its hand one more time, and this time, it would take PMQ to places they never thought they'd go.  
  
**Commercial**  
  
**Narrator: PMQ managed to get through their growing pains, and in the summer of 1989, put together their debut album.  
"She feels weird since I've been gone," their debut single, peaked at a disappointing 92 on the Billboard hot 100.  
But the band refused to give up hope. They decided that touring was the best way to promote the new album, so they hit the  
road, hiring on Ross' younger sister Monica as their tour manager. She brought on her best friend Rachel Green, and suddenly,  
PMQ had a crew.  
  
**Chandler: Monica and Rachel were really great about boosting our morale in those days. Plus Ross had a huge crush on Rachel,  
so he was always trying to show off. It was hilarious.  
  
**Ross: He said what? I SO did NOT have a crush on Rachel! Psh, that's just ridiculous.  
  
**Joey: Yeah, he's lying. (laughs) He's totally lying.  
  
**Narrator: The band toured hard, promoting their album, and building a bond that would see them through the roughest ride of   
their lives--the ride to superstardom.   
PMQ released their second single, "Being There," late that summer. "Emotional Knapsack" was the b-side for the single.  
It was a disc jockey in Atlanta that decided to put on the b-side, and when he was later flooded with calls requesting the song,  
he knew he had a hit. Soon the band was playing to sold out crowds, and watching their new single fly up the charts.  
By the end of the summer, the band was playing major venues in cities throughout the US. The following spring, "Knapsack" was climbing   
the charts in the UK and Japan. Everyone was enjoying the sudden success, and all of the spoils that it brought.  
As they geared up for their first world tour, the record company began breathing down the band's neck for a follow-up cd.  
No one felt the pressure more than the band's resident scribe, Chandler.  
  
**Chandler: I actually remember being in a meeting with one of those slimy execs, and him telling me that I wouldn't be able  
to ride my one decent hit forever. And I thought to myself, "You SOB, I haven't even BEGUN to write hits." I think at  
one point I told them that I had more talent in my little finger than all of them put together.(laughs) I was pretty damn   
full of myself back then.  
  
**Narrator: Upon returning to the US, the band parted ways, and didn't perform or record together for five months. The rumours   
about what happened on that tour were spreading faster than the bands newest single. The band has never talked publicy about  
what happened on the tour. Critics and fans feared that the band was finished. Then, in the winter of 1991, a severe car accident  
seriously injured one of their own, and brought the six friends back together under the most daunting circumstances.  
Two weeks before Christmas, Ross and Monica began the journey from a party in Manhattan to their parent's home in Long Island.  
The car spun out of control, and veered off of the road, nearly killing Monica, and pulling Ross into a deep depression. The accident  
also gave Chandler more inspiration for the next record.  
  
**Commercial**  
  
ug....writer's block blows.....more later! 


	5. Behind The Music Special, Part Two

Behind The Music, Part Two  
  
Again, this is NOT Chapter 4, but....  
I am working on Chapter 4....patience, my children, patience! ;-)  
I own none of these characters, nor do I own "Behind The Music", or VH1...but that'd be damn cool!  
  
  
**Narrator: The crash that nearly killed his sister sent Ross Geller into a depression that would  
affect him for years to come. He would lock himself in his apartment for days on end, refusing to  
see or talk to anyone. Eventually, it was Rachel who was able to reach him. The two sat in Ross'  
apartment and talked for days. Rachel eventually convinced Ross that he needed professional help.  
  
**Ross: Rachel helped pull me out of some dark times. She is a great friend. I don't think I'd  
be sitting here if it wasn't for her.  
  
**Rachel: I don't think Ross knew how hard it was for us to watch him suffer. He was so wrapped up  
in his depression, he couldn't see anything else. I think we were all afraid he'd do something  
drastic...you know how it goes. We didn't want to lose him-personally or professionally.  
  
While Ross was fighting off his demons, his sister Monica began to recover from her injuries.  
The accident had pulled her brother into darkness, but Monica found only strength. Her determination   
and stubborness cut her recovery time in half, and she was on her feet in no time.  
  
**Chandler: I was amazed at how quickly monica bounced back. She was up and telling everyone   
what to do in no time(laughs). It was great. But....the night of the crash....the night she  
nearly died...I've never been so scared in my life.  
  
The near loss of two of his closest friends shook Chandler to his core. He began writing again,  
and the result was phenomenal.   
  
**Joey: I think everyone agrees that the stuff Chandler wrote back then is probably the best stuff  
he's ever written.   
  
**Chandler: I wrote from my heart, which was something I hadn't done since...Kathy. I think the  
fear of losing Ross and Monica woke me up--I had started to believe that I was invinceable--that   
we all were. The accident put things in perspective again. I didn't want to lose my friends,   
and I was determined to keep the band from falling apart.  
  
**Narrator: The group found each other again, and by years end, they were back in the studio.   
There was now an unspoken bond between the group. They were fiercly protective of each other,  
in the media and elsewhere. The studio project was a bonding experience. It gave the band  
a new hope-that they could weather anything that came their way, and that they wouldn't allow  
fame to divide them ever again.  
  
Coming up next, The future of PMQ. When Behind the Music continues.  
  
**Commercial**  
  
**Narrator: Following the accident of '91, PMQ could do no wrong. Every song they released hit   
the Top Ten, and every album they released went multi-platinum. There were book deals, sold out   
tours, and even talk of a Beatles-like movie. The group had spun into a brand-new stratosphere.   
They ruled the world, and showed no signs of slowing down.  
  
For most of the band, the enormous success and constant acclaim was the ride of a lifetime.   
For bassist Chris Salman, the pressure became to intense. He found himself abusing drugs, and  
drinking heavily. He entered rehab in October of 1995, and when he emerged 4 months later,  
he found that he no longer wanted the fame and fortune that music had given him.   
He now associated the music world with the drugs that had brought him to his knees.  
He left the band in early 1996.   
  
**Chris: I had to do what was right for me at that time. I bear no ill will towards the band.  
They are my best friends, and we still keep in touch. But I knew that if I was on the road,  
I'd have access to drugs. And I knew that if I had that opportunity, I'd take it.  
  
**Chandler: We were devastated when Chris left, but we knew that he was only doing what  
he needed to do. We have never found a suitable replacement for him. I doubt we ever will.  
  
**Narrator: The band went through 5 bass players in 4 years. They used session players in the   
studio, and hired young temporary talent for their tours. They have yet to hire a permanent   
replacement.  
  
In the fall of 2000, The band began work on their seventh album, "Perrenial". The album is  
an ecclectic mix of rock, blues, punk and pop. Chandler's songs cover nearly every subject,  
from nuclear proliferation, to the loss of innocence and true love. The band also recorded an  
acoustic cover of the old Eagle's hit "Desperado", breathing new life into one of rock's greatest  
songs.  
  
As the band began their latest tour earlier this year, "Perrenial", like nearly every album  
before it, went platinum. What the future holds for PMQ is unclear--what is clear is that  
their story isn't over yet. As they embark on a new chapter, the band that had it's humble   
beginnings in an NYU dormroom, the sky is the limit.  
  
  
Chapter 4 of TOW They Make It is coming soon!!!!!  
pls review!  
  
  
  



	6. The Breakup

TOW They Make It, 4  
This is a continuation of Chapter 3. Remember that the "Behind The Music" fics really aren't   
related to the story, per say, they were just a part of this zany idea of mine.  
I own none of these characters, but I do own their music, baby, and it's playing in my head   
right now!!;-)  
I also do not own "Entertainment Tonight", MTV, "Total Request Live," or anything else I might   
mention. You get the idea....  
  
Chapter 4  
**New York City**  
  
A group of rowdy protestors were being dragged into the station by weary police officers, and   
the chaos provided Monica, Chandler and Rachel with just the distraction they needed to get  
past the barrage of cameras and fans, and into the stationhouse.  
  
Once inside the station, Chandler began the process of posting Ross' bail, and Monica and  
Rachel were led down a darkened corridor towards the back of the station. Ross was alone  
in a small holding cell, in the corner of the station. He was laying on a bed in the front  
corner of the cell. The only sound in the room was a rusty sink in the corner that  
dripped intermitantly.  
  
"Hey Ross," Monica said, as she and Rachel were let into the cell.  
"Hey guys," Ross said, sitting up. He couldn't bring himself to look at the girls. He felt  
like an idiot, and on top of that, he was hungover.  
  
"What happened?" Rachel asked.  
"I'm not entirely sure," Ross replied.  
"He got into a fight," Chandler said flatly, as he approached the cell.   
"A fight?" Monica yelled. "Ross, what were you thinking?"  
Ross turned red with embarassment. "I, uh..."  
"Do you guys mind if I talk to Ross alone for a minute?" Chandler asked.  
The girls shook their heads and walked out toward the front desk.  
Chandler sat down next to Ross on the bed and sighed.  
"I know, I screwed up," Ross said.  
"Ross, the press have already gotten wind of this. I need to know what happened, so that  
I can tell them...something."  
"What do you want me to say, Chandler? I got into a bar fight with some punk who said that  
our music sucked. That's it."  
"That's not it Ross. You were drunk at the time. In fact, you've been drunk a lot lately, and  
it is starting to cost us."  
"What the hell are you talking about?" Ross sneered.  
"How many hotel rooms have you trashed? And what about that car you crashed in Detroit?   
Ross, Rock 'n' Roll is not what it used to be. You can't just go around trashing stuff anymore.  
We won't get invited back to these places again, and we'll be liable for the mess."  
"Is that all you care about? How much this is gonna cost you? Jesus, Chandler, I can pay you   
back!"  
"It's not about the money, Ross!" Chandler stood up and ran his hands through his hair. He   
struggled to find the right words. He sighed, and decided to simply be straightforward with Ross.  
"You're...you're an alcoholic. You need help."  
Ross looked at Chandler angrily.  
"How the hell would you know that, Chandler," he replied icily. "You are so busy lusting   
after my sister, you never notice anything else."  
Chandler face went crimson. "First of all, I am NOT lusting after Monica. She's been a better  
friend to me lately that you. And second of all, you are right. I am not the one who noticed  
that you had a problem. Rachel did."  
Ross didn't respond. His heart sank. Rachel thought that he was an alcoholic? He sighed heavily.  
"Look, man," Chandler's voice softened, "Rachel cares about you a lot. We all do. You need help.  
Monica has booked you an appointment with a place in San Diego. I really think you should do   
this."  
"And if I don't?" Ross asked wearily.  
"Let's just say you are going to, okay?"  
Ross nodded.  
"But I am only doing this for you guys," Ross said as he and Chandler exited the cell.  
"Okay. I can live with that. Thanks Ross." Chandler replied.  
  
~2 months later~  
**New York City**  
  
"Do you really think Ross is ready to head back out on tour?" Monica asked.  
"Well, this is gonna be the ultimate test, isn't it?" Chandler replied. The two of them were  
in Chandler's apartment, preparing to meet with Bert Anderson, the band's lawyer.  
"But I still think it's a good idea to add these riders to the contracts," Chandler continued,  
"Just in case."  
Monica nodded in agreement.  
"Are you sure you want to add a no alcohol rider?" She asked. "Won't the crew be pissed?"  
"We have to do what's best for Ross. The crew can still drink, they'll just have to buy it  
themselves." There was a knock on the door, and Chandler stood to answer it.  
"Besides," Chandler continued, as he opened the door, "I think Ross was drinking most of the  
booze listed on the old riders."  
"So," Bert Anderson said, as he walked into Chandler's apartment, "we are changing the tour  
contract?"  
Bert was a short, bald man, who always wore blue suits and always seemed nervous about something.  
He had a typical lawyer quality to him, but he had been with the band for years, and, because of  
the money that the band paid him for his services, rarely had to take on other clients.  
He was at their beck and call, which is why, when Monica called him about the tour riders earlier  
that day, he was able to meet with them on a moments notice. The three of them sat down at   
Chandler's kitchen table, and spent the rest of the evening hammering out the details of the new  
tour agreements. After they finished, Bert hung around and chatted with them for another hour.  
Monica silently wished he would leave, then cursed herself for being so silly. She needed  
to get over her schoolgirl crush. And she needed to find herself a boyfriend. She looked up at  
Chandler and caught his eye. He smiled, and then continued to pretend to listen to Bert's   
ramblings. Monica's heart skipped a beat. She was in trouble. This wasn't just a schoolgirl  
crush anymore.  
  
  
**  
  
"What are we doing here?" Phoebe asked.  
"It's a surprise," Joey replied. "Now keep your eyes closed."  
Phoebe giggled as Joey led Phoebe down the darkened corridor. When they got to the centre of the  
room, Joey stopped Phoebe and pulled her hands from her eyes. Phoebe gasped. They were standing  
in the middle of an empty stadium. The entire stadium was dark, except for a soft light that  
illuminated the centre of the floor. Under the light was a small table, decorated with candles,  
flowers, wine, and two vegetarian dinners. Phoebe smiled when she realized exactly where she was.   
The last time she was at this stadium, it was full over overzealous fans.   
"This is where we first met," Joey whispered, as though he was reading Phoebe's thoughts.  
"I know," Phoebe said softly.  
"Happy Anniversary," Joey smiled, and pulled a single ross from his jacket, and kissed her softly.  
"Wow," Phoebe said between kisses, "What are you gonna do for our *two* month anniversary?"   
"Well, if I told you that, it wouldn't be a surprise."  
Phoebe giggled. Suddenly, her smile faded, and she became very serious.  
"Wait, you didn't freak out or anything when I eluded to us having a two month anniversary!"  
"Well, I don't know was elu-whatever means, but I do know that I see much more than a two month  
anniversary in our future."  
"Really?"  
"Yeah," Joey said, grinning broadly, "I'd say three, even four."  
Phoebe laughed, "Well, you'll have to do a lot to top this anniversary, Mr. Tribianni."  
Joey grinned and pulled Phoebe into a passionate kiss. He had plenty of time to think of ways  
to top tonight. Though Phoebe was right...it was gonna be tough to do.  
  
  
**  
  
"So, how long will you be out on the road this time?" Kevin asked, as he and Rachel sat down  
for dinner.  
"I think this one is relatively short. We've only booked 6 gigs. We just want Ross to get used  
to the road again."  
"6 gigs...so...."  
"I'll be gone about 2 weeks."  
Kevin sighed. "That's a long time."  
"Well, it's better than two months!"  
"Maybe...but, uh," Kevin put down his fork and took Rachel's hand, "maybe you should consider   
looking for a different job."  
"What?" Rachel replied.  
"Well, you can't tour around with these guys forever, right? I mean, don't you want to settle   
down? Don't you want a family?"  
"Yes, but..."  
"Well, it would be kinda tough to settle down while you are travelling around with a bunch of  
rock stars, don't you think?"  
"I like my job Kevin. It's fun, and I am good at it."  
"What exactly do you do, anyway?"  
Rachel was furious. Why was Kevin being like this? He suddenly had a problem with her job?  
"What is your problem? You know what my job is! Or weren't you listening?"  
"Look, sweetie, I just...I just miss you. You are gone for so long...and I just..."  
Rachel's eyes softened. Kevin really did miss her. Maybe she was reading too much into this.  
"I'm sorry. I know I'm gone a lot. But it won't be forever. I promise."  
"I'm sorry too. Let's talk about this later. Dinner is getting cold."  
They ate the rest of their meal in silence. Rachel couldn't help wondering if maybe it was time  
for her to make a choice.  
  
**St. Louis, 1 week later**  
  
The dressing room was crowded-more crowded than usual. Chandler felt the overwhelming urge to  
run into his hotel room and hide from the madness.  
"Great show, man!" said a 20-year old kid in a PMQ t-shirt.  
"Thanks," Chandler replied mechanically. He had heard how great the show was about 25 times in  
the last hour. Personally, Chandler thought the show was mediocre, at best. They were all out  
of sync, his guitar string snapped halfway through "Emotional Knapsack", and the acoustics sounded  
flat. The venue was hot, and the crowd seemed less-than-enthused. It was a rare off night for  
the band, but Chandler decided it was best not to dwell on it.   
  
But it was hard to avoid. The next morning, Chandler was accosted by Monica, who was holding  
the local paper in her hands.  
"Have you seen today's paper?" She said as she walked into his hotel room.  
"Morning, Monica," Chandler replied dryly.  
"The review is horrible," she continued. "Look."  
"Why don't you just read it to me," Chandler said wearily, as he walked into the bathroom.  
"Okay. 'PMQ is the most famous band in the world, yet last night's show left many wondering why.  
It was as though there were four people on stage, playing four different things, at four different  
times. Chandler Bing sounded like he was singing through a funnel, and Ross Geller seemed to be  
putting in a minimal effort. Many wonder if this poor performance was a result of Geller's   
recent trip to rehab, though most believe that it is related to the rumour that the members of   
the band don't speak to each other anymore.'"  
"I didn't know we weren't speaking to each other," Chandler mumbled, while brushing his teeth.  
"That's why it's called a rumour, Chandler," Monica replied, not picking up on his sarcasm.  
"Really? Is that what a rumour is?Man, I should really invest in a dictionary," Chandler said,   
his latest comment literally dripping with sarcasm.  
Monica took his hint, and turned beet red. How had she not picked up on the sarcasm? Chandler  
thought she was an idiot now. Unless he'd thought she was an idiot before. Oh, no. She was   
overthinking the meaning behind *everything* again. She needed to get out of here.  
"So, uh, I'll talk to you later," she finally said aloud.  
"Are you mad at me, Monica? I was just kidding."  
"I know. Kidding. Ha ha, I get it. I, um, have lots to do, you know, because we are checking  
out today, and I have to do...something." Was she still talking? Oh, why couldn't she just  
shut up?  
  
Chandler smiled wryly. Monica seemed nervous about something. Chandler thought it was adorable.  
"Monica," he interrupted her incessant rambling, "What are you talking about?"  
"Yes, okay, I don't know. Okay, bye Chandler."  
"Monica, wait!" But she was already gone. Chandler sighed heavily. What the hell was that about?  
  
**Boston, MA**  
  
Ross stood in front of the hotel room mirror, examining his outfit. He had finally worked up  
enough nerve to try and ask Rachel to go to dinner with him, and he wanted to look good when  
he did it. Dark blue jeans and a light blue sweater. Did he look stupid? Maybe he should change   
again. Ross sighed. He knew that if he stood there long enough, he could talk himself right  
out of this. He shook his head and walked out into the hallway. Rachel's room was only five  
doors down, but it looked much further. Ross took a deep breath, and walked toward Rachel's  
room. Suddenly, the elevator dinged, and Ross stood frozen, as he watched Kevin walk out of the  
elevator, and toward Rachel's door. Kevin knocked, and Rachel opened the door a few seconds later.  
"Kevin!" she squealed.  
"Hi, baby," Kevin replied, and handed Rachel a dozen red roses.  
"Wow! What a lovely surprise! Come in, Come in!"  
Kevin and Rachel disappeared into Rachel's room.  
Ross turned on his heel, and walked back to his room. Of course Rachel wasn't going to say yes to  
a date with him-she had Kevin. How could he have been so stupid? He sighed and turned on the   
television. He flipped through a few channels, and then stopped suddenly. His jaw dropped at   
the sight before him.  
  
*  
  
"Joey!" Phoebe called out to Joey, who was in the shower.  
"What?" Joey called back over the running water.  
"You'd better get in here!"  
Joey flipped off the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist. He walked over to the bed,  
and sat next to Phoebe.  
"What's wrong?" Joey asked.  
"Look," Phoebe said, pointing to the television.  
Joey turned just in time to see his own face staring back at him.  
There, on the television, was the top story on "Entertainment Tonight."  
Joey's head spun, as he listened to the words coming from Mary Hart's mouth;  
  
"Tonight, we reveal the real reason behind the shocking and sudden break-up of the world's most  
famous band--PMQ."  
  
******  
  
Are the rumours true? Will the band break up for good? Will Rachel make a choice between Kevin  
and her job? Will Monica ever reveal her feelings for Chandler? What's next for Pheebs and Joey?  
Will Ross be able to stay sober? What does it all mean?? Do you care? Then leave  
a review and let me know what you think!!!  
Chapter 5 coming soon!  
  
  
  



	7. A Day In The Life of a Rock Star

So, some folks asked me what PMQ stands for. Okay, well, honestly, I was stuck for a name, and  
so I opened up a book that I was reading, and used the first thing I saw. PMQ is the title of an   
essay in Nick Hornby's collection of essays called "Speaking With The Angel". PMQ stands for  
Prime Minister Query, or Questionairre, or something like that. So, uh, as far as the band is   
concerned, if you have an idea about what PMQ should stand for, let me know...maybe I should make it  
a contest or something! LOL  
I still own no one, but I own PMQ's record label, Metaphorical Tunnel Records, Inc.   
So there. LOL  
  
**Boston, MA**  
  
Chandler was just about to drift off to sleep when someone started pounding on his door.  
"Ah-ah!" he yelled. "Dammit!"  
He got up and pulled open the door, fully prepared to kill the person on the other side.  
"Monica, what the HELL are you doing?" he croaked.  
"Chandler, we have a huuuuge problem."  
"Is somebody dead?"  
"No."  
"Is Ross drunk?"  
"No."  
"Does it involve fire, flood or psychotic fans?"  
"No, no, and no."  
"Then it can wait until morning. Good night, Monica."  
Chandler attempted to close the door, but Monica pushed her way into Chandler's room.  
"You really are freakishly strong, you know that?"  
"Chandler, the news is reporting the band's breakup."  
"What the hell are you talking about?"  
Before Monica could answer, Ross, Joey and Pheobe appeared in Chandler's doorway.  
"I assume then, that I am the last to know that we have broken up?" Chandler said flatly.  
"No," Ross said bitterly, "Rachel doesn't know. She's too busy with Kevin."  
"Well," Monica said, "We need to do some damage control. I will start making phone calls  
in the morning, meanwhile, you guys don't say anything to the press. We need to find out  
who is behind this."  
"Mon, what's the big deal?" Chandler said, yawning. "Rumours fly about us all the time!"  
"Chandler, this was on 'Entertainment Tonight', MTV, and VH1! Those networks are usually good  
about getting credible sources. Which means this stuff is being leaked from the inside."  
"Oh, a conspiracy theory, huh? Do ya think we should call Mulder and Scully?" Chandler laughed.  
Monica shot Chandler an icy glare, and then turned to the others.  
"Remember you guys, don't talk to anyone."  
With that, Monica made a beeline to her room.  
"What's with her?" Joey said, hanging his arm on Pheobe's shoulder.  
"Stress, probably." Ross muttered, as he headed for his room.  
Joey shrugged, and he and Pheobe wandered back to their room. Chandler sighed heavily,  
and shut his door. If it was him Monica was mad at, he figured he'd be safer if he let her  
sleep it off. He'd talk to her in the morning.  
  
~The next morning~  
  
*7:00am*  
  
"Okay, we will be back in New York by noon, so we should be able to get downtown by 2," Monica  
said to the receiving end of the hotel telephone. She had been up for two hours, trying  
to book interviews for the band, and appearances on talk shows. There was a soft knock on  
her door.   
"Hang on Greg," Monica said, putting her hand over the receiver. "Who is it!" she yelled.  
"Room service."  
"I didn't order room service!"  
There was another knock on the door, and Monica sighed in frusteration. She had a lot to do   
before the band's flight that day. She stood up, opened the door, and smiled. On the other side  
of the door was Chandler, wearing a full waiter's uniform, and carrying a tray of food.  
"Room service," he said again, using a strange, unrecognizable accent.  
Monica shook her head and walked back over to the phone.  
"Sorry about that Greg. Yep, we will be there in time for the show. Okay, Bye."  
Monica plopped back down on her bed, which was covered with papers, two cell phones, and   
a day planner.  
"You look like you could use a break," Chandler said, still using his ridiculous accent.  
"I don't have time for a break, I still have to call Letterman's people."  
"You can take a break...maybe for 5 minutes?" Chandler said.  
"Uh, alright." Monica put down her pen and cell phone. "Where the hell are you supposed to  
be from, anyway?" She said, grabbing a cup of yogurt from Chandler's tray.  
"What? you don't recognize the accent?" Chandler said, his accent even heavier than before.  
"Um, no."  
"I am from...Sacramento...obviously."  
Monica laughed. "Obviously."  
"Look, Mon," Chandler said, using his normal voice, "I didn't mean to upset you last night.  
I was just joking around. I know this is serious."  
"It's okay, Chandler. I think I was just tired...and cranky."  
"So...we are okay, then?"  
"Yeah."  
"Good." Chandler stood up and pulled Monica into a hug. "I don't know what I'd do without you,  
Mon," he whispered.  
Monica stood frozen, unable to breathe, for fear she would say something stupid. Before she  
could think of anything clever to say, Chandler broke the hug, and grabbed an apple from the tray.  
"I'd better go. I gotta get this uniform back before someone notices it's gone."  
"Okay," was all that Monica could mutter.   
With that, Chandler turned and left the room, and Monica finally resumed breathing.  
  
**  
  
~New York City~  
  
*12:52pm*  
  
"Come on you guys, let's GO!" Monica yelled, pulling and pushing band members into waiting limo's.  
"Uh-oh, Monica's in her 'Hyper-mode'," Ross said, using air quotes to nail down his point.  
"Into the car, Ross," Monica said from behind, causing Ross to jump.  
"Mon," Chandler said, "It's okay. We have an hour."  
"Yes, an HOUR to get from LaGuardia to the studios downtown. ONE HOUR!" Monica was in full  
freak out mode now. Their plane had been delayed 30 minutes, and Chandler was sure that had it  
been delayed any longer, Monica's head would've exploded.  
The entire band, including Monica, Rachel, Pheobe and Kevin, piled into a limo and headed to the  
MTV studios. Once they pulled around Broadway, the limo was engulfed by eager fans, hungry  
for a glipmse of their favourite band.  
"Oh, crap." Monica said, as they pulled up to the studio doors.  
Large men wearing black security rain jackets tried to hold off the hordes of screaming girls  
as the band jumped out of the limo and ran at full speed into the studio. Once safely inside,  
Chandler and Joey stuck their heads out of the glass doors, and waved to the crowd.  
"Hello New York!" Joey screamed.  
"Let's GO!" Monica yelled, and the band made their way to the elevators.  
  
*2:15pm*  
  
Monica walked back and forth, inspecting the appearance of each band member. She pulled some  
lint off of Ross' jacket, and ran a comb through Joey's hair.  
"Mon, it's fine." Joey whined.  
"Shut up and let me look at you," Monica replied, smiling. She inspected the band once more, as  
Carson Daly announced their appearance;  
"Before we continue with the show, I want to bring out a group of guys who spend a lot  
of time on our countdown. They are hear to dispell some recent stories about them.  
Let's bring 'em out. PMQ!"  
The band was met with wild applause and ear-piercing screams.   
"Hey guys," Carson said, shaking each of their hands.   
"Hey Carson, good to see ya," Chandler said casually.  
"So, guys, let's talk about what's going on, huh?"  
"Well," Chandler started, "Let me start by saying that we are not breaking up, and we have no  
plans to break up in the near future."  
Chandler's statement was met with wild applause. Once it died down, Carson Daly continued.  
"Where do you guys think the rumours stemmed from?"  
"Well," Joey jumped in, "I think there are a lot of jealous people out there who would like to  
see us break up. I am tellin' ya right now, it ain't gonna happen!"  
"Excellent, excellent," Carson said, "So, what's next for you guys?"  
"We have a few more gigs, then we'll break for the holidays," Chandler replied.  
"Alright, well, let's jump back into the videos...how about we show one of yours?"  
"Sounds good," the band replied in unison.  
"Alright, thanks for stopping by, guys, and come back anytime! Here is PMQ's latest, 'Lost In You'!"  
As the director yelled cut, the band was led back into the green room.  
  
"Is it gonna be like this all day?" Joey whined.  
"Pretty much," Monica replied, as the band collapsed onto the sofas.  
"This sucks," Ross said.  
"What are you talkin' about? You didn't say a damn thing out there!" Joey said.  
"Maybe I didn't have anything to say, okay?" Ross yelled back.  
"Guys!" Monica intervened. "We do not have time for this. You have to tape a promo piece  
downstairs, then we have to get to the Ed Sullivan Theatre."  
"We are doing Letterman tonight?" Chandler said, surprised by the sudden booking.  
"Yeah, well, Blink 182 bailed at the last minute, so I offered our services. Plus, the   
more interviews we do today, the better. Chandler, you have two interviews between now and  
Letterman, so we have to go."  
Monica led a grumbling Chandler downstairs, while the others gathered their things.  
"Mon, I thought we had to do a promo piece."  
"Ross and Joey can handle it. You have interviews with Vh1 and CMJ."  
"I think this is all an elaborate rouse to get me alone, Ms. Geller."  
Monica stopped dead in her tracks. Was he onto her? Oh crap!   
"Why would you say that? Look, I was up at 5 am booking this crap for you, and..."  
"Monica, MONICA! Calm down, I was joking."  
"Oh. I knew that."  
  
**  
  
*5:15pm*  
  
"Okay, um, where are they?" Ross was now in full panic mode.  
"I'm sure they'll be here, calm down," Joey said, "We still have 20 minutes."  
As if on cue, Monica and Chandler came flying into the green room, sweating profusely.  
"Where the hell have you two been?" Joey asked.  
"That guy from CMJ would not shut up. Then our cab rear-ended another cab, 15 blocks from here."  
"They are probably still arguing," Chandler added. "We had to run all the way down here."  
"And we woulda been here 15 minutes ago if Chandler hadn't stopped to sign autographs," Monica said.  
"Oh, come on Mon, those girls were hot!" Chandler laughed.  
"Didja get numbers?" Joey asked, and was elbowed by Pheobe.  
  
Letterman went off without a hitch, and the band then gathered for two more interviews, before  
heading back to their respective apartments. Ross decided to take a quick detour past Rachel's  
apartment. She and Kevin had parted from the group after TRL, but she was on Ross' mind all day.  
He approached Rachel's building, and smiled when he saw Rachel, standing at her picture window,   
staring out into the night sky. His smile faded when he saw Kevin approach her, pulling her into an  
embrace. Ross sighed. His drinking problem had ruined any chance he may have had with Rachel. She  
probably thought he was a drunk, and not worth her time. A bitter wind picked up, indicating  
an upcoming storm. Ross turned and hailed a cab, and headed home.  
  
Rachel stood at the window, staring into the night. She finally had everything she ever wanted.  
A career, a boyfriend who cared about her, and great friends to share her life with. She  
sighed heavily. If this is what she wanted, then she should be happy. But something inside  
was nagging her. She knew that Kevin wanted her to change jobs, but she just couldn't see  
herself doing anything else. She knew that it was time for her to make a decision. Whatever  
she chose, it was going to change her life dramatically. Suddenly, Kevin came up behind her,  
and put his arms around her waist.  
"Penny for your thoughts," Kevin said sweetly.  
"Just...thinking," Rachel sighed.  
"About?"  
"The future."  
Rachel turned around and looked into Kevin's eyes. He smiled, unaware of what was going  
on in her head. She smiled weakly, and made her decision.  
"Kevin, we need to talk."  
  
**  
  
"Caramel Macchiato to go, please," Chandler stood at the counter at Central Perk, trying very  
hard to blend in. It didn't work. Before he could duck out of the coffee shop, a group of  
girls walked in, and squealed. The entire coffee shop stopped and stared, as the girls ran up  
to Chandler, begging for autographs and pictures. The incident started a chain reaction, and  
it took Chandler an hour and a half to get out of the shop. Once outside, Chandler noticed that  
the weather had changed dramatically in the last 90 minutes. The wind was fierce, and large,  
gravel-like hail stones were plummeting from the pitch black sky. Chandler pulled his wool  
overcoat over his face and ran into the adjacent building. He ran up to Apartment 20, and   
pounded on the door.  
  
"Chandler?" Monica said, opening the door, "What are you doing back here?"  
"I tried to leave, but I got stuck in Central Perk...and now it's hailing so bad, I can't see."  
"I told you not to go into public places alone," Monica laughed, "Come on in."  
Chandler walked into Monica's apartment, and shook off his dampened coat.  
"Sorry about this, Mon. You didn't have plans, did you?"  
Monica laughed. "I am the manager for the most famous band in the universe...I have no life."  
Chandler laughed and plopped down on Monica's cream-coloured sofa, as she started a batch of  
hot cocoa.  
"Wow, it's really coming down now," Chandler said, and wandered over to the giant picture window.  
Monica walked over and stood next to him. "Wow."  
"I'd hate to be stuck in this storm."  
  
**  
  
Joey tried once again to start his whimpering Porche. He and Pheobe were heading out of the city,  
when his car just stopped. He tried again, and the engined continued to grind relentlessly.  
"I think you flooded it," Pheobe yelled over the grinding engine and the pounding hail.  
"Crap!" Joey exclaimed, hitting the steering wheel.  
"Where are we?"  
"I have no idea, but we are gonna have to wait this storm out."  
Suddenly, headlights appeared from behind.  
"Oh, man, this guys can jump start us!" Joey said excitedly.  
"Joey," Pheobe said, "he's not slowing down."  
The truck barreled down the dark road, and as it passed the Porche, it clipped the back end, and  
sent it careening down the bank, and into a large tree.  
  
**********  
  
Coming Soon: "The Storm"!  
  
  



	8. The Storm

The Storm(The One Where They Make It, Part Six)  
  
~Several miles outside of New York City~  
  
The car collided with the tree, and the sounds of squealing rubber, broken glass, and the crushing  
and twisting of metal filled the night air. The truck that hit the Porche never stopped, and the  
road was now deserted for miles, both ways. Joey pulled himself out of the muddy ditch, his head  
throbbing from hitting the ground so hard. He had managed to jump out of the car well before it hit   
the tree, which was lucky, because from the way the tiny automobile was wrapped around the trunk of the towering pine, he would not have survived. He looked around the vacant field, his eyes trying  
desperatly to adjust to the darkness. He heard a moan, about 10 yards to the left, so he turned  
and walked slowly through the mud. The giant hail was hitting him hard in the face, forcing him  
to walk hunched over, his hand blocking the hail from his eyes.  
"Pheobe?"  
"Joey?"  
"Are you okay?"  
"I think my leg is broken," she moaned.  
Joey pulled Pheobe out of the dirt, and turned her over. Other than a small cut above her eye, she looked okay. He tried to look at her leg, but she squealed in pain.  
"Sorry," he mumbled, and tried to pick her up.  
"We gotta try to find some shelter," he said.   
Joey stood up, and, with Pheobe in his arms, attempted to make his way back to the road.  
  
~Greenwich Village~  
  
Monica handed Chandler a mug full of steaming hot cocoa.  
"Thanks," he said softly.  
"Sure," she replied, as they made their way back to the sofa.  
"So, Monica," Chandler started, "I have been meaning to ask you..."  
"Ask me what?"  
"Well," Chandler swallowed hard, and set down his mug on a coaster. "You have been acting a little...I dunno, strange lately, and I was thinking that maybe you were mad at me or something."  
Monica looked at Chandler, her eyes wide, and her jaw dropped. Chandler wasn't sure how to read that reaction, so he instinctively tried to talk his way out of his situation.  
"I...I mean, maybe you are just stressed out, or, um, I mean, I know that you have a lot going on, and, um..."  
Monica was in shock. She wasn't even listening to Chandler's incomprehensible ramblings. Not only did Chandler think she was acting weird, he thought that she was angry with him! Slowly, she built up her courage, and decided that it was now or never.  
"Chandler, shut up," she said, and Chandler immediatly closed his mouth. She looked at him for a minute, and began to feel all of her courage drain from her body. She took a deep breath and looked deep into his sky blue eyes.  
"Chandler, I know I have been acting weird, but I can explain. See, a few months ago I realized..."  
But before Monica could finish her sentence, Ross came flying through the front door.  
"Mooooon," he whined.  
"Ross? What's um, what's wrong?"  
Ross wandered over to the chair in the center of the living room, and sighed heavily.  
"Chandler? What are you doin here?"  
"I got stuck in the storm. What's wrong?"  
"I blew it with Rachel. She hates me. I saw her in her apartment, looking all happy with her Kevin," Ross spat out Kevin's name as though it was the worst word he'd ever used.  
"Then I went to my apartment, but I was so lonely...so I came across the street so that Monica could make me some food," Ross looked up and gave Monica his best puppy-dog eyes.  
"Fine," Monica grumbled, shooting Chandler an apologetic look.  
"Well, how is the storm? Maybe I can make it home." Chandler wondered.  
"It's still coming down, but not as heavily as it was," Ross said, as Monica handed him a mug of cocoa.  
"You're probably better off staying here," Monica said, trying to hide her desperation.  
Chandler looked at Monica and smiled. She was busy putting together some food for Ross, and Ross was busy whining about losing Rachel. Chandler wondered how any of them would ever get by without Monica.  
  
**  
  
"Joey, I'm so cold," Pheobe mumbled, as Joey made his way up to the street.  
"I know, baby, I am sorry. Just a little longer, I promise."  
Suddenly, headlights appeared in the road ahead. Joey put Pheobe down, steadying her with one arm. He used the other to flag down the SUV.   
It worked. The truck pulled over, and the driver unlocked the passenger side door. Joey opened the back door, and placed Pheobe in the back seat.  
"Thank you so, so much," Joey said, "Some jerk ran us off the road earlier."  
"Joey? Joey Tribbiani?" The voice was familiar, but Joey couldn't place it. He looked up slowly.  
"Janice." He said flatly.  
"Janice? Abby's friend, right?" Pheobe said, finally realizing where she knew the woman from.  
"Wow, small world," Janice said, laughing obnoxiously.  
Joey put on a fake smile, and hopped into the front of the truck.  
"Wow, I guess we owe ya one, huh?"  
Janice nodded silently. She knew exactly what she wanted from Joey.  
  
**  
  
Rachel and Kevin sat in the living room, staring silently at one another.  
"So, you must really love your job," Kevin said quietly.  
"I do. I'm sorry, Kevin, I just...I'm not ready to make that kind of sacrifice."  
"Well, I guess that's all there is to say," Kevin said sadly, and stood up.  
"Where are you going?"  
"I...I can't stay here Rachel."  
"But the weather...it's so bad. Kevin please, just wait out the storm with me."  
"I'll be fine. I just want to leave."  
With that, Kevin pulled on his coat and walked out of Rachel's apartment...and out of her life.  
"Well," Rachel said to herself, "there ya go." She wiped the persistant tears from her eyes and  
walked to the window she was staring out of earlier. She sighed heavily. She needed to talk to  
someone. She picked up the phone, and dialled.  
  
**  
  
"So...what are you guys doin'?" Ross said sadly.  
"Um, we...we were gonna watch a movie!" Monica said.  
"Yeah, Monica was just about to start a video," Chandler chimed in.  
Chandler turns on the tv, and hits the play button.   
"Isn't this 'Leaving Las Vegas'?" Ross asked.  
"Yeah, I don't think we were gonna watch this one, were we?" Chandler said, quickly stopping the  
film and turning off the tv.  
"So..." Monica said, breaking an uncomfortable silence.  
"I think the storm is letting up. I'm gonna take off," Chandler said.  
"You don't have to," Monica said, trying to keep her voice calm.  
Meanwhile, Ross' cell phone began to ring.  
"Hello?" he said into the receiver. "Rachel?"  
"Hey. I was...uh, I tried your apartment, but you weren't there."  
"Yeah, I am at Monica's."  
"Oh. Um, I guess we can talk later."  
"No, no, we aren't doing anything. What's up?" Ross waved goodbye to Monica and Chandler  
and headed out the door. Chandler gave him a quick thumbs up, then turned to Monica.  
"So, what were you gonna tell me earlier?" he asked.  
"Huh? Oh, that. I just..." Monica had lost all of the courage she had built up earlier that   
evening. She tried desperately to come up with some plausable answer.  
"Mon?"  
"I, uh, realized that I am taking on too much work. I am thinking about taking on an assistant."  
"That sounds like a good idea," Chandler nodded.  
"But I wanted to make sure that it was okay with you, you know...it is your money."  
"Mon, if you need help, you need help. I am sure that Ross and Joey won't have a problem with it."  
"Okay," Monica sighed, relieved that Chandler bought her lie.  
"So...you wanna watch a movie?" Chandler asked, as he plopped back down on the sofa.  
"Sure," Monica said, "But not 'Leaving Las Vegas'!"  
Monica thumbed through her DVD collection. "How about 'The Perfect Storm'?"  
"Sounds perfect," Chandler laughed.  
  
**  
  
"So, uh, Janice," Joey said, "How are ya?"  
"Oh, fine," Janice said, her voice nearly as fake as her fingernails.  
"Um, what have you been up to?"  
"Well, I was on my way to my cousin's cabin...but then I picked up a stranded celebrity on the  
side of the road," Janice said, then let loose an incredibly annoying nasal laugh.  
"So," she said, "How's Chandler?"  
"He's uh...he's good."  
Janice smiled. "Are you guys gonna be doing any more shows soon?"   
"I, uh, I dunno."  
Janice pulled into Beth Israel Hospital, and began to get out of the car.  
"You know, Janice, you, uh, you don't have to stay. You can just drop us off and head back  
up to your cousin's cabin," Joey said as sweetly as he could.  
"Oh, no, I want to make sure my friend Pheobe is okay!" she replied with a saccherine-filled voice.  
"Right," Joey said, knowing full well that she was hoping he would call Chandler.  
  
**  
  
Monica was cuddled up against Chandler, fast asleep. She had managed to make it through about  
15 minutes of the movie, before dozing off. Chandler noticed this, once he realized she was no  
longer laughing at his George Clooney jokes. He watched her as she slept, and smiled. Even  
in her sleep, Monica looked stressed out. He thought that the idea of her taking on an assistant  
was a good one. Monica mumbled, and pulled the blanket closer to her. She turned, and pulled  
herself closer to Chandler. He laughed slightly, and wrapped his arms around her. He kissed her   
on the forehead, and continued watching the movie.  
Monica mumbled again, but this time, her words were more coherent.  
"I love you."  
Chandler looked down at Monica, his eyes wide. Her eyes were still closed, so she was   
obviously dreaming. But was the statement directed at him? He stared straight ahead, though  
his mind was no longer on the movie before him. He began to replay some of the odd encounters   
he'd had with Monica recently, and the conversation they were having that night, before being  
interrupted by Ross. Chandler began to put two and two together, and suddenly decided that he   
needed to talk to Monica. He shut off the tv, and shook Monica gently.  
"Monica, wake up."  
"Hmmm?"  
"I...I need to talk to you."  
"Wha? Is the movie over?"  
"Um, yeah. Listen Mon, what were you gonna tell me tonight, before Ross came in?"  
Monica sat up. Her heart started to race. He had believed her earlier. What had changed his mind?  
"I...I told you."  
"No, I think it was something else. Mon, what's going on."  
Monica swallowed hard. Her throat was unbelievable dry, and her stomach was jumping around  
like a caffinated three-year old.  
"It's nothing," she managed to whisper, as she carefully studied the intricate patterns of her blanket.  
"Mon, look at me."  
Monica shook her head.  
"Monica," Chandler's voice was barely above a whisper. He placed his index finger under her chin  
and pulled her face up. Her eyes were trying desperatly to avoid his, but he moved his head, and   
caught her gaze.  
"What's going on?"  
Monica didn't answer. She couldn't. Her voice had been taken from her by her rapidly beating heart.  
She was convinced that Chandler could hear her heart as clearly as she could hear it.  
Chandler looked into Monica's eyes, and managed to get the answer he had been seeking. He smiled  
broadly, and leaned toward Monica. His smile faded, and he pulled her towards him. Their lips  
touched briefly, as Chandler hesitated, then, sensing no resistance from Monica, pulled her into   
a deep, passionate kiss.  
The kiss sent shivers up Monica's spine. She leaned into him, and ran her hands through his hair.  
Chandler suddenly pulled away, and looked at Monica, studying her expression closely.  
"I love you too," he whispered, and kissed her once more.  
The shrill ring of the phone broke through the haze of the moment, causing both Chandler and Monica to jump.  
"Let it ring," Chandler mumbled, and began to nibble on Monica's neck.  
"Okay," Monica moaned, and pulled Chandler on top of her.  
The machine picked up, and soon, Joey's voice filled the apartment.  
"Hey, Mon, it's Joey. I just thought I should tell ya...uh, a truck ran me and Pheobe off the  
road tonight."   
Monica and Chandler suddenly stopped making out, and both sat up to listen to the message.  
"We are both okay, but my car is definitly not alright. Uh, we are at Beth Israel Hospital,  
and I think they'll let us out by morning. And, uh..." Joey's voice dropped to a whisper, "We  
were picked up by Janice...she won't freakin' leave! She's been asking about Chandler all night.  
I think you should warn him." With that, Joey hung up the phone.  
"I have to go down there," Monica said, adjusting her blouse and grabbing her shoes.  
"I'm coming with you," Chandler said, putting his shoes back on.  
"NO!" Monica said, a little too loudly, "If Janice is still there..."  
"I'll thank her kindly for picking up our friends," Chandler said simply, and grabbed Monica  
around the waist. She gasped as he pulled her toward him and kissed her hard on the lips.  
"It's gonna be okay." he whispered.  
Monica smiled. "Okay."  
Chandler helped Monica with her coat, then put on his own. He grabbed Monica's hand, and  
headed out the door, into the fading storm.  
  
*** 


	9. Love, Lust & Glory

I have exclusive rights to all of PMQ's music, which, in my head, sounds a little like Green Day,  
but that's only because I can't get "Church on Sunday" *out* of my head.   
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Love, Lust and Glory: The One Where They Make It, Part Seven  
  
  
~Beth Israel Medical Center, New York City~  
  
Monica and Chandler rushed into the medical center, and found their friends almost immediately.  
"Are you guys okay?" Monica asked, hugging Joey.  
"Yeah, Mon, we're fine...just a little shaken up," Joey laughed.  
"Chandler," Janice said, her voice sickly sweet, "long time no see!"  
"Hello, Janice," Chandler said, trying his best to avoid hugging her.  
But Janice refused to be denied, and wrapped her skinny arms around him.  
"Can I have a thank-you kiss? I did after all, save your friends from certain doom," she said dramatically.  
"And I thank you for that, Janice," Chandler said pulling her arms off of him.  
"Chaaandler," she whined, "sweetie, you and I were sooo good together!"  
Chandler moaned in disgust.  
"Look, Janice, I, um, I am just not ready for a relationship right now. I am really busy, and  
the last thing I need is a girlfriend to complicate my life. You understand, right?"  
"Fine. But you call me the second you change your mind!"  
With that, Janice planted a big, sloppy kiss on Chandler's lips, and pranced out of the hospital.  
Chandler looked over at Monica, who smiled weakly.  
"Can you guys leave yet?" Monica asked.  
"They wanna keep Pheebs overnight for observation, but they released me. I think I'm gonna stay  
with her, though," Joey explained.  
"Wow, so you guys are pretty serious, huh?" Chandler asked, as he and Joey sat down.  
"Yeah. We get along so well, ya know? And she treats me like a normal person. It's great."  
Chandler nodded. "Well, I think she's great...and I have never seen you so happy!"  
Joey chuckled. "Yeah," was all he could say. He was definitely happy.  
  
*****  
  
"Hi, Ross," Rachel said, opening the door.  
"Hey," he replied, and pulled her into a hug.  
They moved to the sofa, and sat down.  
"So, what happened?" Ross asked softly.  
"He wanted me to quit my job. He said I was on the road too much," Rachel sobbed.  
"I'm so sorry," Ross said.  
"It's not your fault," Rachel said, putting her hand on his, "I made the choice."  
"Well, I'm sorry that you are hurting, Rach, but I am glad you didn't quit," Ross said sincerely.  
"Me too," she whispered, and sunk into the sofa.  
They sat in silence for several minutes.  
"So, you wanna get drunk?" Ross said, smiling.  
"Ross!" Rachel scolded, then saw the look on his face, and had to laugh.  
"Hey, I got you smiling!" Ross said happily.  
"Thanks, Ross," Rachel said, her face once again turning serious.  
"Hey, that's what friends are for, right?"  
"Yeah."  
  
*****  
  
~San Francisco, California, one week later~  
  
*4:15 pm, Warfield Theatre, Sound Check*  
  
"Ross, your guitar sounds a little off. Try G again," Chandler stood at the centre of the stage,  
his acoustic Gibson hanging loosely around his neck.  
"You know, Chandler, your ability to hear that stuff is just eerie," Ross replied, tweaking his guitar.  
"I have a good ear. Sue me," Chandler laughed. "Let's try it from the top again."  
  
Monica walked through the venue, listening to the band warm up. She never grew weary of the songs, or of Chandler's voice. She could listen to him sing for hours. The past week had been hectic. Monica and Chandler had decided not to tell anyone about their relationship, and consequently, they rarely had any alone time. They were a week into their "relationship", but had done little more than kiss. Monica sighed. She would have to schedule a break for the band, just so she could see Chandler alone. She walked past the stage, and caught Chandler's eye. He winked at her, never missing a beat. Her heart skipped. She may be dating the most famous singer in the world, but to her, he was much more.  
  
*8:45pm, Warfield Theatre-Showtime*  
  
The band took to the stage, and was greeted with a roaring applause. The band sounded tight, and  
the songs flowed smoothly. Chandler caught Ross' eye, and they both smiled. They knew that this show was gonna be one of their best.  
  
Midway through the third song, Chandler felt his pulse quicken. He loved this song, and knew that it was a crowd-pleaser. He sang his way to the bridge, and backed up, letting Ross do his thing.  
Chandler reached down for his water bottle, then heard the crackling. As he turned, the crackling escalated into popping. The lights above began to explode, one by one, sending shimmering pieces of glass and orange sparks to the stage. Security immediatly began pushing the screaming crowd back away from the stage, and Monica came flying out, screaming to the band to get off of the stage. Chandler stared at the lights, awestruck by the chaos that lay before him. He was pulled from his revelrie by Monica, who grabbed his arm and yanked his amp plug from his guitar.  
"Chandler, get off the stage," she yelled, pulling him as she ran.  
Minutes after the stage was cleared, the overhead light fixture fell from the rafters, and hit the stage with a thundering crash.  
  
**  
  
"Get Mike in here!" Monica screamed at the security guards.  
"What the hell just happened?" Joey asked.  
"I don't know, but we are gonna find out."  
The two security guards re-entered the room, with Mike McAffee, the lighting technician, in tow.  
Mike had been working with the band since their first tour. He was 38 years old, and single.  
He had a typical roadie look; long stringy hair, black jeans, a black t-shirt from a 1984 Van Halen  
concert. He was an easy going, hard working guy, who never had much to say, but was wickedly funny when he did finally speak. The band all liked him, and he enjoyed touring with them.  
"Monica, I swear to God, I checked those lights out this afternoon."  
"Then how did they nearly kill the band?" Monica fumed.  
"I...I don't know. Lemme take a look at them, and see what happened. It coulda been faulty wiring. This is a really old building."  
"Faulty wiring?" Monica yelled. But before she could continue, she was cut off by Chandler.  
"Mike, no one is blaming you, we just need to know what happened."  
"Lemme take a look at it," Mike mumbled, and left the room.  
"Mon, I really don't think it was Mike's fault," Chandler said softly.  
"YOU don't know that Chandler! You guys were almost killed tonight, and HE is giving me faulty wiring??"  
"Monica, calm down, okay? No one was hurt."  
"DON'T tell me to calm down, Chandler." Monica's heart was racing. She knew she was over-  
reacting, but the words left her mouth before she could control them. Whatever rational  
filter she had in her brain was not working at the moment.  
"I think this is related to the bomb scare in Salt Lake City," she said.  
"Monica, that's ridiculous, okay? We don't know anything yet. For all we know, this was an accident!"  
"Shut UP, Chandler, just SHUT UP!"  
Chandler closed his mouth and looked at Monica crossly. He decided that there was no use  
trying to reason with her when she was in this state. He turned silently, and left the room.  
  
***  
  
Joey's phone was ringing as he keyed into his hotel room.  
"Hello?"  
"Joey!"  
"Hi sweetheart!"  
"Are you okay? I just heard on the radio that there was a huge accident on stage." Pheobe was in a panic. She wasn't able to go with the band to San Francisco because she had to work, but school was almost out, and she would have the entire holiday break to tour with the band. When her students found out that she was dating PMQ's drummer, she suddenly became the most popular teacher in school. She never thought she'd have a waiting list for her Russian Lit classes.  
"We're fine Pheebs, everyone is fine. How are you? How is your leg?"  
"I'm fine. I never realized how many stairs there were at NYU until now," she laughed.  
"But the semester is almost over, right?"  
"Yeah. I'll meet up with you in Seattle."  
"Excellent!!"  
"Okay, I have to finish reading these essays. I just needed to know that you were okay."  
"I'm fine baby."  
"Good."  
"Pheebs?"  
"Yeah?"  
"I love you."  
Pheobe was taken aback by Joey's last statement. He loved her? Wow. She sat in a stunned silence.  
The silence was agonizing for Joey. He was starting to regret saying anything at all.  
"I love you too," Pheobe finally whispered, and hung up the phone.  
Joey grinned, and hung up the phone. "Yeah, baby!" he yelled, and layed down on his bed, folding his arms behind his head.   
  
***  
  
Ross sat at the back of the now-emptied theatre, watching as Mike and Monica talked about that night's incident. Monica had finally calmed down, after taking out most of her frusterations on Mike and Chandler. Ross sighed, and leaned his head back against his seat. It seemed to be one thing after the other lately. Ross thought about what Monica had said, about this being connected to Salt Lake. He hoped that she was wrong, but had a weird feeling that she wasn't.  
"Penny for your thoughts," Rachel said, startling Ross.  
"Ah! Hey Rach. I was just thinking about something Monica said earlier."  
"About the bomb threat?"  
"Yeah."  
"It's looking more plausable, actually," Rachel explained. "Mike says he thinks the wires were cut intentionally."  
"Really?"  
"Yeah. There are clean cuts. He said that if it was bad wiring, they would have been torn out."  
"Wow."  
"Monica wants to increase security."  
"Great, just what we need...more people."  
"Well, it's better that the alternative."  
"Yeah. Anyway...how are you feeling?"  
"Well, it's good to be back out on the road...I can stay busy."  
"Yeah."  
"But sometimes..." Rachel shook her head.  
"What?"  
"Sometimes I wonder if I made the right decision. If I end up alone and lonely, it will be my own fault."  
"You aren't going to end up alone Rach," Ross said. "You are a gorgeous, intellegent woman, and you will be just fine."  
Rachel smiled. "Thanks. Hey, I'm gorgeous?"  
"Duh," Ross said, wrapping his arms around her.   
Rachel smiled and put her head on Ross' chest. He was so much sweeter when he was sober. She closed her eyes, and sighed heavily. Maybe she had made the right decision after all.  
  
****  
  
Monica arrived at the hotel at 1:30 in the morning, exhausted and scared. Mike was sure that it was not an accident, so they had called the San Francisco Police, who, in turn, called the FBI. A full blown investigation was under way, and Monica had to decide whether they should continue to tour. And, she needed to apologize to Chandler. He had taken off after her outbust, and had not answered his phone all night. She knocked on the door to his room. She waited, and knocked again. When it became clear that he was not there, or not going to answer, she retreated to her room, and went to sleep.  
  
~The Manderine Orient Hotel, Downtown San Francisco, the next day~  
  
Monica made her way down the hallway of the 15th floor, ensuring that everyone there was packed and ready to check out. She had reserved a small conference room, to meet with the band and the crew before boarding the bus and heading to Sacramento. She turned the corner, and ran into right into Chandler.  
"Chandler," was all she could say.  
"Morning Monica," Chandler mumbled, and continued down the hall.  
Monica sighed, and concentrated on getting everything together. It was going to be a very long day.  
  
Two hours later, Monica had explained the new security issues to the band and crew, and had managed to get everyone out of the hotel, and on the tour buses. Once on the bus, Ross and Joey went to the back to try and get some sleep, while Rachel sat at the table, aimlessly stitching one of Joey's shirts, her mind a million miles away. Monica was in the front, talking to Frank Martinez, the driver, about where to park once they reached Sacramento. When Chandler emerged from the bathroom, she cut off her conversation with Frank, and sat down next to Chandler on the sofa.  
"Chandler, I need to apologize to you. I should have never screamed at you like that."  
"No, you shouldn't have," Chandler said flatly.  
"I'm sorry. I...I was scared. That thing almost killed you. I freaked out, and I am sorry."  
"It's okay Mon. I am scared too."  
"Really?"  
"Yeah. I mean, when you made the connection to Salt Lake, I guess I got to thinking, and I freaked out a little too. I didn't want to believe that you might be right. That someone is out to get us."  
"Well, I am going to make sure that that does not happen."  
Chandler smiled. "Oh, you are sexy when you are angry!"  
"Really?"  
"Yeah," Chandler said, and leaned in to kiss her.  
"Wait," Monica said, putting her hand on his chest. "We...can't do...that here."  
"Right," Chandler mumbled, and sat up straight.  
"Maybe I'll stop by your room after the show tonight," Monica whispered.  
Chandler smiled. "Kay."  
  
****  
  
~Sacramento, CA. Arco Arena, 8:30 pm~  
  
"Mon, do we have any Throat Coat tea left?" Chandler said, pulling his guitar over his head.  
"Yeah, right here," Monica said, tossing a box to him.  
"Yeah, baybee, this crowd is on FIRE!" Joey yelled.  
Monica laughed. "Wow, someone is psyched!"  
"Yeah BAYBEE!"  
Chandler and Monica laughed, as Joey ran up the ramp towards the stage.  
"Have a great show," Monica said, as Chandler began to follow Joey.  
"Thanks," Chandler winked and ran up to greet a packed house.  
*  
Chandler found that he could not drink enough water. His throat would dry up after each song, and he had gotten to the point where he was drinking a full Solo cup of liquid during every break in every song.  
  
It wasn't until the first encore that he started to feel it.  
  
The room was spinning, and he broke out into a cold sweat. His lips felt like they had swollen to the size of melons, and his eyes were burning. He shook his head, trying to shake off the eerie feeling, but it got increasingly worse. Finally, he stopped singing all together. Ross looked over at Chandler, who had turned a ghostly white. He called his name, but Chandler was frozen in place. Seconds later, Chandler collapsed, and the crowd collectively gasped.  
  
Ross threw his guitar off and ran to Chandler's side. He was soon joined by Joey and Monica, who instructed a crew member to call an ambulance.  
  
**  
  
An hour later, a skinny, balding doctor came into the hospital waiting room.  
"What happened?" Monica asked, her voice hoarse from crying, "Is he okay?"  
"We won't know anything definite until tomorrow. He is very sick. But it appears..." The doctor looked at Monica intently.  
"What?" Ross asked anxiously.  
"He was poisoned." 


	10. Invincible

Hey! Thanks for the reviews!! Here we go again.....  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Invincible: The One Where They Make It, Chapter Eight  
  
~Davis, California. UC Davis Medical Center~  
  
"Poisoned?" Monica stood in front of the doctor, hoping and praying that she didn't just here what she thought she'd heard.  
"I'm afraid so. It is a synthetic poison, which tells me that it was intentional. I am required by law to call the police."  
"We already have the FBI working on something for us," Monica said slowly, "Let me call them."  
"Fine," The doctor said. "You can see him, but he is not awake. Two at a time." With that, the doctor left the room.  
"I can't believe this is happening," Ross whispered.  
"How could this have happened?" Joey added.  
"I don't know," Monica said, tears forming in her eyes.  
Ross, Rachel and Joey each visited Chandler, while Monica talked with the FBI agents. They had already sealed off the venue, and the crew was being interrogated. Ross and Rachel emerged from Chandler's room, and the FBI agent asked to speak with both of them. Monica stood alone in the hallway for a moment, looking lost and confused. She turned, and saw Joey on a pay   
phone, undoubtedly talking to Pheobe. Monica sighed and walked into Chandler's room.  
  
The room was dark, much darker than Monica had expected it to be. It took a minute for her eyes to adjust to the dim lighting. She walked over to Chandler's bed, and clicked on a small desk lamp on the table next to the bed. Chandler was very pale, and dark rings lined his eyes. His mouth was turned downward, as though he was upset over something. Monica sat down and  
sighed heavily. She took his limp hand in hers, and fought off impending tears.  
"Chandler, I am so sorry," she whispered, as persistant tears made their way down her face.  
"I promise we will find the person responsible for this...I promise."  
Monica began weeping uncontrollably, her guilt and grief consuming her like a dark cloud. She put her head on Chandler's chest, and sobbed herself into an uncomfortable slumber.  
  
****  
  
"Poisoned? Joey, are you serious?" Pheobe's voice was trembling on the other end of the phone.  
"Yeah. Something really weird is going on here Pheebs, and I can't help but to wonder if our friend Janice has something to do with it."  
"Janice? Really?"  
"Well, it makes sense. She loves Chandler, and he keeps turning her down. She goes to like, every show, and...I don't know."  
"Wow, I can't believe this. What are the police saying?"  
"I am not sure, but I am gonna go tell the FBI what I just told you. I think they need to talk to Janice."  
"Joey, please be careful."  
"I will, don't worry. I love you."  
"I love you too."  
Joey hung up the phone, and went to find the FBI agents.  
  
****  
  
Ross and Rachel sat in the waiting room of the hospital, both deep in thought. After a few minutes,   
Rachel shivered, and pulled her knees up to her chest.  
"Are you okay?" Ross asked.  
"Yeah...no...I..." Rachel stammered, "I am so scared right now."  
"So am I."  
"Do you think Chandler is going to be okay?"  
"I don't know," Ross mumbled.  
"Who is capable of doing something like this?"  
"That's what's so scary, Rach. Anyone is."  
Rachel shivered again, and Ross walked over to her, and wrapped his arms around her.  
"It's gonna be okay," he said, trying to convince himself as much as anyone else.  
"I hope you're right," Rachel said into Ross' shoulder.  
"Me too," Ross mumbled, and pulled Rachel closer. He rocked her in his arms until she drifted off to sleep.  
  
****  
  
~Davis, California, Two days later~  
  
Monica was unconsciously humming to herself, as her left hand held Chandler's, and her right stroked the top if his head, his sandy hair sifting through her fingers. She was still consumed with guilt, totally convinced that she could have...*should* have Done Something. She refused to leave Chandler's side, leaving Rachel and Ross to pick up most of the slack. Rachel kept in contact  
with the media, while Ross was the FBI's contact. A vigil outside of the hospital had grown to the point where fans were now covering half of the parking lot, causing problems for the hospital, and for Rachel, who didn't know what to tell the sobbing group of girls.  
  
Monica stopped humming to kiss Chandler on the cheek, before standing up to use the restroom.   
  
Chandler stirred, as the heavy fog that had taken over his mind began to lift. His eyes fluttered open, and his dry lips parted reluctently, sticking to each other stubbornly. His head was throbbing, and his body felt like it had been kicked around like a discarded tin can. He moaned softly, and tried to survey his surroundings. He was in a hospital. He was alone. He closed his eyes, as a searing pain shot through his head.  
  
Monica emerged from the restroom, and walked back toward her chair. She sat down, and took Chandler's hand again. Chandler opened his eyes, and turned to see Monica, her head down, her shoudlers trembling.  
"Monica?" Chandler whispered.  
"Chandler? Oh, Thank God! How are you feeling?"  
"Like I've been trampled by an elephant. What happened?"  
"You...you were poisened."  
"What?"  
"That's what the doctor's said. Ross talked to the FBI this morning, and it looks like it was in your tea."  
"I can't believe this."  
"I'm gonna go get the doctor," Monica said, tears falling down her cheeks.  
"Mon," Chandler said, as Monica got up to leave.  
"Yeah?"  
"Are *you* okay?"  
"I am now," she said, smiling.  
  
****  
  
~One Week Later, New York City~  
  
Chandler sat in his apartment, thumbing through another magazine. His own face was on the cover  
of nearly every magazine on the stands-People, Entertainment Weekly, Time, Rolling Stone--so Chandler found solace in the one magazine that he knew he would not be featured in-Sports Illustrated. Monica knocked twice before walking into the apartment.  
  
"Hey," she said quietly.  
"Hey Mon," Chandler said, engrossed in an article on the NFL playoffs.  
"How are you feeling?" she said, taking a seat next to him on the sofa.  
Chandler folded his magazine and looked at Monica.  
"Better," he replied. "Any news on the investigation?"  
"Nothing new. They talked to Janice, and have pretty much ruled her out as a suspect."  
Chandler shook his head. "Yeah, I don't see her doing something like this."  
"It's just scary to think that it could be anyone," Monica said, her voice cracking.  
Chandler scooted closer to Monica, and pulled her close to him. He wiped the tears from her eyes, and kissed her softly.  
"It's gonna be okay," he said.  
"How do you know? I thought that I had a handle on security. But I was so wrong."  
"Monica, look at me," Chandler said softly, pulling her head up to meet his eyes.  
"Up until a week ago, I really thought that this was not as serious as you were making it out to be.  
And it's not because I don't respect you, it's just..." Chandler ran his hand through his hair, as   
he struggled to explain himself. He began talking about himself in the second person.  
"You get to a certain...I don't know, level of fame, and you start to think that you are invincible,  
that nothing can touch you. So when these things started happening, I just blew it off, because, I thought, 'Nothing too serious can ever happen!' And then I wake up, half-dead in a hospital room, and I realize that I was being foolish. I am not invincible...and that scares me. It wasn't that you didn't have tight enough security, it's that...I never actually believed it could happen."  
Monica nodded, and smiled slightly.   
"So, then, you are not Superman? Is that what you are telling me?"  
Chandler chuckled. "I guess I'm not."  
"Well," Monica said, smiling, "Then I think we should see other people."  
"What? You can't break up with me. I may not be invincible, but no one will love you like I do."  
Monica laughed, and wrapped her arms around Chandler's neck.  
"A little full of yourself, aren't you, Mr. Bing?"  
Chandler nodded, and kissed Monica passionately. She pulled him closer, and he picked her up.  
"Whoa," she said, pulling away, "Be careful. You don't have all of your strength back."  
"Don't be so sure," he said, kissing her neck and carrying her to his bedroom.  
(Yeah, use your imagination, cuz I don't do porn;-))  
  
****  
  
~Three Weeks Later, New York City~  
  
"I can't believe you guys are going back out there," Pheobe said, as she walked with Joey to the bus.  
"Well, The Feds aren't really getting anywhere, and it has been a month since Chandler was poisoned.  
And besides, he's the one that insisted we continue the tour."  
"I wish I could come with you," Pheobe moaned.  
"Me too, sweetheart. But you will meet up with us in New Orleans, right?"  
"Yeah," she said, kissing him softly.  
"Great! I love you!"  
"I love you too!"  
"Okay, you two are a little *too* cute," Chandler said, as he and Monica approached.  
"Well, you're just jealous cuz you don't have anyone as great as Pheebs," Joey gloated.  
"Aww," Pheobe replied.  
"I guess you're right about that," Chandler said sarcastically, winking at Monica.  
"Let's get the hell outta here!" Ross said, poking his head out of a bus window.  
"We'll, uh, give you two some privacy," Chandler said, instinctively taking Monica's hand as they  
headed for the bus.  
"Do you think there is something going on between Chandler and Monica?" Pheobe asked.  
"Nah, they've always been like that." Joey replied, as he kissed Pheobe goodbye.  
"Hmph," Pheobe said, not quite convinced.   
  
****  
  
~Miami, Florida, Three days later~  
  
"You guys sounded great!" Rachel exclaimed as the band walked into the dressing room.  
"One of your best shows," Monica chimed in.  
"Thanks, ladies," Ross said, as he plopped down onto the sofa.  
"Mon, where did these come from?" Chandler was holding a vase full of flowers.  
"I don't know," Monica replied.  
Chandler set down the vase and fingered through the bouquet, looking for a card. He finally pulled  
out a tiny envelope, and saw his name scrawled across the front.  
"They're for me," he said casually, though his heart was beating a million miles a minute.  
After all that had happened, he was paranoid that every gift was a deadly one.  
  
Monica watched with bated breath as Chandler opened the card. She was fully prepared to clear the room, and call security, if necissary. She took a long, shaky breath and tried her very best to stay calm.  
  
Chandler pulled the card out of the envelope, and silently read the words written on it. A sharp  
pounding on the door caused everyone in the room to jump. Chandler took a deep breath to calm his jagged nerves, and opened the door.  
  
"Everything okay in here, Miss Geller?" asked an armed security guard on the other side of the door.  
Monica looked at Chandler, who nodded.  
"Yes, everything's fine," she said.  
"We are gonna do a perimeter check before the band leaves," he said, and left.  
Chandler closed the door behind the guard, and sighed.  
"The flowers are from my Dad," he said, "He's gonna be in New Orleans on Friday."  
The band and the girls sighed a collective sigh of relief, and went about their business.  
Monica walked into the back room, her fists clenched and her jaw tight. Chandler watched her   
and decided to follow her.  
"Mon?" Chandler said as he entered the room. Monica was faced away from him, and did not answer when he called. He walked over to her, and grabbed her shoulders. He turned her slowly toward him. As he suspected, she was crying. He silently wrapped his arms around her, and let her collapse into him, shaking as she sobbed.  
  
****  
  
Rachel sat down next to Ross, who was fidgeting with his guitar strings.   
"How are you feeling, Rach?" Ross said, putting down his guitar.  
"I'm okay," Rachel said softly.  
"Kinda crazy, all this stuff, huh?"  
"Yeah."  
"You wanna take a walk? I need some air."  
"Sure," Rachel replied, and smiled as Ross took her hand, and led her out the door.  
  
****  
  
"My flight comes in at 9," Pheobe said on the other side of the phone  
"Great! Oh, I can't wait to see you!" Joey exclaimed.   
"I love New Orleans!" Pheobe said, before getting off the phone.  
Joey smiled. He hoped that after what he had planned, Pheobe would love New Orleans even more.  
  
****  
  
"I'm sorry," Monica croaked after a minute of silence had passed.  
"Why?" Chandler asked looking at her.  
"I don't know why I am crying. I guess all of this is so overwhelming."  
"Well, those *were* some scary flowers," Chandler said, smiling slyly.  
Monica laughed, and playfully slapped Chandler on the chest. "It's not funny," she said.  
"I know," Chandler replied, and took Monica's face in his hands. He dried the tears that had been  
falling from her eyes, and kissed her gently. Monica sunk into the kiss, immediatly forgetting about all of the stress and pressure she was under. She felt totally safe in Chandler's arms, and she wished he could just hold her, forever.  
  
****  
  
~New Orleans, Louisiana, Saturday night~  
  
"I thought we'd eat in tonight," Joey said, as he and Pheobe made their way up to the hotel suite.  
They had spent the entire day exploring New Orleans, and were both exhausted.  
"Sounds great to me," Pheobe said, rubbing her neck.  
Joey opened the door and allowed Pheobe to enter. She gasped when she saw the room. It was   
filled with roses and lit candles, and champagne was sitting in a bucket of ice on the table.  
"Joey!" she said, and turned to face him.  
"Wow, what happened here?" he joked, and wrapped his arms around Pheobe.  
"What is all this?"  
"I wanted you to know how much I love you, and how much you mean to me." Joey swallowed hard, and pulled back to look at Pheobe. "I wanted to tell you that you are the best thing that has ever happened to me, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. And I know we've only been together a few months, but I can't see myself with anyone else."   
With that, Joey got down on one knee, as Pheobe gasped again.  
"Pheobe, will you marry me?"  
  
****** 


	11. Faithfully

uuuuh, here is the next part. SPECIAL Thanks to Talon for helping me out with this one. And for suggesting that I use "Faithfully" By Journey. I hope I used it well.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Faithfully - The One Where They Make It, Part Nine  
  
~New Orleans, Louisiana~  
  
Ross was sitting on a small hill, overlooking the hotel. He gazed up, at the stars, and   
pondered his reality. He often wondered what his life would have been like, had he taken   
a different road. Where would he be now, if he'd finished college, and continued studying Paleontology? What if he had never met Chandler? He'd probably be married, with a bunch of kids, living in the suburbs.  
"Are you counting them, or wishing on them?" Rachel asked about the stars Ross was gazing at,   
as she approached.  
"I'm...wondering on them," Ross said, as Rachel sat down next to him.  
"What are you wondering?"  
"How my life would be now, had I not become a musician," Ross replied.  
"Hmm," Rachel looked up into the sky.  
"Do you believe in fate?" Ross asked suddenly.  
"I suppose," Rachel replied.  
"I wonder...my meeting Chandler, us quitting school...doing that gig where we were discovered..." Ross trailed off.  
"Fate sometimes plays funny hands," Rachel said quietly.  
"Yeah." Ross replied.  
"I sometimes think that we make decisions, and we are under the illusion that we are in  
totaly control of our lives. But in reality, fate makes us do things that, at the time, don't make any sense at all."  
"Are you saying that you have regrets?" Ross now knew that Rachel was talking about her decision  
to put her career before her relationship with Kevin.  
"I always have regrets...but lately I have been thinking..."  
"What?"  
"I was regretting my decision to stay...but then I thought about how strange it would  
have been to be back in New York, when you guys were out on the road. Especially when  
Chandler was so sick...I just think that I would have had trouble dealing with that, and  
that ulimately, I would have lost Kevin anyway. Then I realized that maybe Kevin wasn't  
the person I was meant to be with after all."  
Ross wasn't sure what to say. He wasn't quite sure what Rachel meant, but he really hoped that  
she meant that she was fated to be with him. He looked at her, trying to figure out what  
was going on in her mind. She felt his eyes on her, and turned to look at him.  
"Like I said," she whispered, "Fate deals funny hands sometimes."  
Rachel leaned in and kissed Ross, mostly because she knew he wouldn't make that First Move.  
She felt him hesitate slightly, then give in to his feelings. Their kiss deepened, and the world around them disappeared.  
  
****  
  
"Oh...my...Joey, are you serious?"   
"Are you kidding? Of course I am serious!"  
Pheobe was in shock. This was the last thing she was expecting. She looked at Joey, and  
at the ring that he still had extended. She couldn't have chosen a more perfect ring.   
He knew her so well.  
  
The seconds flew by, and the wait was agonizing. What was she thinking? Joey began to  
panic. Maybe it was too soon. Maybe she didn't love him. The floor was really hard.  
His knee was starting to hurt.  
"I'd love to marry you," Pheobe said, her voice sounding small-almost child-like.  
"Really?" Joey was brought back to reality by her words.  
"Of course!" Pheobe said loudly, tears flowing down her face.  
Joey slid the ring on her finger, and pulled himself up. He hugged and kissed Pheobe  
ferociously, fearing that if he let her go, she'd change her mind. But she just kissed him back, revelling in the fact that she was going to be Mrs. Joey Tribianni.  
  
****  
  
~New York City-Two Months later~  
  
Monica paced nervously in her living room, glancing at the clock. One more minute. She sighed heavily. Her mind was in a whirl, and she was so nervous, she felt like throwing up. The phone rang, and Monica nearly hit the ceiling. Her heart was racing, and she had to take a few steady breaths before she could answer the phone.  
"Hello?"  
"Hey gorgeous," Chandler's voice put Monica even more on edge.  
"Hi," Monica replied softly, trying to hide the shakiness in her voice.  
Chandler picked up on it anyway. "Are you okay?"  
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," Monica said, as the oven timer went off, causing her to jump again.  
"Are you cooking something?" Chandler asked.  
"Uh, yeah, I am...can I uh, call you back?" Monica lied.  
"Sure," Chandler hung up the phone, shaking his head. He had no idea Monica knew how to cook.  
  
Monica flipped off the oven timer and sprinted into the bathroom. She picked up the little white stick and inspected it closely. Her heart lurched, and she set the stick back down onto the sink.   
It was now official.  
  
She was pregnant.  
  
****  
  
Pheobe walked out of the NYU administration building, and was once again met with a barrage of photographers and journalists. She sighed heavily, and trudged past them as quickly as she could. Ever since her engagement to Joey went public, she hadn't had a moments peace. Planning the wedding was a logistical nightmare. Security for the event alone was costing a fortune. Joey kept insisting that money was no object, but Pheobe had her heart set on a small, intimate ceremony. She walked toward the subway, hoping that she wouldn't have to spend the rest of her life running from paparazzi. After all, she wasn't the famous one, Joey was. She didn't understand why the media found *her* so facinating. She sighed, trying yet again to take in all that would come with marrying a rock star.  
  
****  
  
Ross lay in bed, watching Rachel sleep in his arms. The last two months had been...magical. He had never been so happy. Rachel stirred, and Ross kissed her on the forehead.  
"Morning," Rachel mumbled, as she stretched slowly.  
"Morning," Ross said, kissing her again.  
Rachel smiled. Everything about this felt right to her. She was so happy. Best of all, she didn't have to choose between love and career. She had everything she'd ever wanted, and could ever need.  
"You want breakfast?" Ross asked, pulling Rachel from her thoughts.  
"Mmmmm, okay," Rachel said. She turned and looked at the clock. It read 10:30. Rachel smiled. She loved being able to sleep in. The phone rang as Ross was leaving the room, and Rachel sat up and answered, annoyed that someone was ruining her perfect morning.  
"Hello?"  
"Rachel, it's Monica."  
"Oh, hey Mon," Rachel said, hoping that Monica wasn't expecting her to work today.  
"I need to talk to you. It's really important."  
"What's up?"  
"I...I can't tell you over the phone."  
"Why not?" Rachel said, feeling slightly annoyed.  
"I just...can't. Please, Rach, I really need a friend."  
The pleading in Monica's voice caught Rachel off guard. Up to that point, she'd thought that Monica wanted to talk about work. This was obviously a personal issue, and Rachel was more that happy to help her best friend.  
"I'll be right there," Rachel replied, and hung up the phone. Ross, and breakfast, would have to wait.  
  
**  
  
"Hi," was all Monica could say when she opened the door. She looked nervous, and a tad upset.  
"Mon, what's wrong? What happened?" Rachel walked in and placed her arm on Monica's shoulder.  
"I...I'm pregnant," Monica said quietly, as the two women took a seat on the sofa.  
"Wh-what?"  
"Pregnant. I'm pregnant."  
"Wh-um, how? I mean, Who's the father?"  
Monica looked at Rachel quizzically, then suddenly realized that no one knew about her and Chandler.  
"Um, Rach, you can't say anything to anyone, especially Ross."  
"I swear, I won't say a word. Who is it?"  
Monica swallowed hard, knowing that she'd have to tell everyone eventually anyway.   
"Maybe, uh, I should tell him about this first," Monica said slowly.  
"No no no no, you can't do that to me! Ya gotta tell me!"  
Before Monica could reply, her front door opened, and Chandler walked in.  
"Hey," he said.  
"Ch-Chandler, what are you doing here?" Monica asked.  
"You never called me back," he said, smiling.  
"Oh. Right. Well, have a seat, I was just about to tell Rachel something, but I think that I need to talk to you..."  
Rachel gasped. Chandler? Chandler was the father? She looked back and forth at the two.  
"What the hell is going on?" Chandler asked.  
"Um," Monica glanced nervously at Rachel, who nodded encouragingly, "I'm, uh, I'm pregnant." Monica didn't want to tell him like this, and certainly not in front of Rachel. But she couldn't hide it from him either.  
Chandler sat down, then stood up suddenly, then sat back down again.  
"What?"  
"I'm pregnant."  
"And YOU are the father!" Rachel declared, though it was clear that Chandler had already figured that part out.  
"Oh. Wow. Um, I don't know what to...didn't we use protection?"  
"Well, there was that one time on the bus..." Monica reminded him.  
"Whoa! How long have you two been, um, together?" Rachel interrupted.  
"Longer than you and Ross," Monica said, shooting Rachel a look that told her to be quiet.  
Chandler stared at Monica for a minute, then stood up again.  
"Um, I am gonna go get some air," he said, and walked out the door as quickly as he could.  
"You and Chandler?" Rachel asked, as soon as the door closed.  
"He is gonna freak out, isn't he?" Monica said sadly.  
Rachel looked at Monica, and realized the gravity of the situation.  
"Sweetie, it'll be fine."  
"My child is gonna grow up as one of those illigitimate children of a famous rock star," Monica cried.  
"Chandler would not do that," Rachel assured her.  
"Did you see the way he freaked out?"   
"Well, he JUST found out. Give him time, he'll come around."  
Monica sighed. She hoped Rachel was right.  
  
****  
~New York City, One week later~  
  
*NBC Studios, Rockefeller Centre*  
  
Monica walked around the set of Late Night with Conan O'Brien with two security guards, and an FBI agent.  
"I just want to be certain that everything will go smoothly as possible," Monica said.  
"It will be fine Miss Geller," the security guard replied, ans he and the other two men walked backstage. Monica sank down into a seat in the audience. The studio was bustling, as the producers prepared for the show. But Monica barely noticed. Things between Monica and Chandler had been awkward and strange since The Announcement. Rachel had kept her word, and so far, no one else knew. Chandler was trying to accept the news, but was having a hard time coming to terms with the fact that he would soon be a father. At least that was the impression that Monica was getting. She sighed, deciding that it was best not to dwell on it.  
  
2 hours later  
  
"This next band is pretty much the most popular band around," Talk show host Conan O'Brien was talking into the camera, as the audience squealed in anticipation. "Their new album is called 'Perrennial', and it's in stores now. Please welcome PMQ!"  
  
The band took to the stage, and Chandler sat down on a stool set out in the centre. He picked up his acoustic guitar, and pulled the strap around him. Monica looked at Rachel quizzically. Chandler didn't have his acoustic during sound check. Had they changed something? She thought they were doing the new single, in which case Chandler would need his electric Gibson. Monica sighed. If they were planning on doing something else, Chandler should have told her. Chandler looked around the room, and once he found Monica, he smiled. He started playing, and Ross and Joey joined in soon afterward. The tune was an old one, and not one of theirs. But they often did covers, and Chandler thought that the song was appropriate for the occasion:  
  
Highway run  
Into the midnight sun  
Wheels go round and round  
You're on my mind  
Restless hearts sleep alone tonight  
Sendin' all my love along the wire  
  
They say that the road ain't no place to start a family  
Right down the line it's been you and me  
And lovin' a music man ain't always what it's supposed to be  
  
Oh girl you stand by me  
I'm forever yours--Faithfully  
  
Chandler never took his eyes off of Monica, and Monica realized that this was Chandler's way of telling her that it would all be okay.  
  
Circus life  
Under the big top world  
We all need the clowns to make us smile  
Through space and time  
Always another show  
Wondering where I am lost without you  
  
And being apart ain't easy on this love affair  
Two strangers learn to fall in love again  
I get the joy of rediscovering you  
Oh girl, you stand by me  
I'm forever yours--Faithfully  
  
Oh, oh, oh, oh--  
Faithfully, I'm still yours  
I'm forever yours  
Ever yours--Faithfully  
  
The song ended, and the crowd erupted. Monica felt tears coming to her eyes.   
This was the beginning of something great.  
  
****  
  
~New York City--Joey & Pheobe's wedding day~  
  
*The Plaza Hotel*  
  
Joey paced nervously back and forth. He was sure he'd screw something up, he just wasn't sure when or where.   
"Dude, calm down," Chandler laughed.  
"It'll be fine," Ross assured Joey.  
"Okay, okay. I just want to get it done, ya know?"  
  
Joey, Chandler and Ross stood at the front of the room, as the final guests took their seats. Pheobe had gotten her wish-the guest list was kept very small. Monica also thought it was wise for security reasons, as the FBI was still trying to figure out who messed with the lights in San Francisco, and who poisoned Chandler in Sacramento. The string quartet began playing, and Rachel appeared, wearing a floor length, black silk dress that she had designed herself. Ross was sure he had never seen anyone so stunning in his life. He grinned broadly, as his mind drifted to a day in the future when Rachel would be walking toward him wearing white. Rachel made her way to the front of the room, and winked at Ross before taking her place. Monica appeared seconds later, and Chandler smiled. Monica had to make an effort not to look like she was staring at Chandler. The two of them had agreed not to say anything about their relationship, or the baby, until after the wedding. Monica didn't want to steal Pheobe's "thunder", and Chandler knew that once Ross found out, Chandler may not be around to enjoy things like weddings. He looked over at Ross, who seemed to be off in his own little world. Chandler shook his head, and winked at Monica as she passed.  
The quartet changed tunes, and the guest stood. Joey felt his heart jump into his throat, when he saw Pheobe. She looked amazing. She wore a long white silk gown, beaded only at the waist, and on the sleeves, which sat off of her shoulders. Her long blond hair was pulled up, and a cascade of curls framed her face. Her hair was fashioned with small yellow and white flowers, set in a ring, and attached to a long, flowing veil. She walked up to a beaming Joey, and took his exended arm.  
  
The ceremony was short, but beautiful. Joey and Pheobe exchanged vows and rings, and shared a passionate kiss. As the group moved into the reception hall, Chandler grabbed Monica's hand, and led her to an unoccupied table in the corner of the room.  
"What are you doing?" Monica whispered, as she peered around to see if anyone had noticed.  
"I wanted to talk to you," Chandler replied.  
"Okay," Monica said, "Talk."  
"Uh...how are you?"  
"I'm fine."  
"I, um, I was thinking that, you know, we have this baby coming, and, well, um..."  
"Chandler, what are you trying to say?"  
"Maybe we should get married," Chandler blurted out nervously.  
Monica's eyes went wide. Married? Was he insane?  
"Chandler, I..."  
"Look, I know that wasn't the most romantic proposal, but I just thought..."  
"Chandler," Monica interrupted, " I really don't think this is a good idea."  
"What?"  
"Why are you proposing to me?"  
"Well, because um, you're gonna have my baby, and because, I love you."  
"Sweetie, I love you too, but I don't think we are ready to get married."  
"Why not?" The look Chandler gave Monica was almost child-like, and she couldn't help but to smile.  
"Honey, no one except Rachel even knows we are dating. And when I asked you why you wanted to get married, the first reason you gave was my pregnancy. Pregnancy is not a reason to get married."  
"It's not?"  
"No."  
"Oh. You really don't want to marry me?"  
"Aw, Chandler, maybe we'll get married eventually. I just don't think that now is a good time."  
"Okay," Chandler smiled, "I'll wait."  
Monica laughed, and took Chandler's hand. They walked back toward the reception, which was now in full swing.  
  
****  
  
Ross and Rachel swayed to the music, seemingly oblivious to the world around them.  
"It really doesn't get much better than this, ya know?" Ross whispered.  
"You're right, it doesn't," Rachel replied.  
"I can't believe that Joey and Phoebe are married...everything happened so fast."  
"It did. But they are so in love," Rachel sighed dreamily, "And they are so meant to be!"  
"So, you are saying that they are fated to be together forever?" Ross pulled away from Rachel and smiled.  
"Well," Rachel said, smiling, "Fate plays funny hands sometimes."  
"Indeed," Ross said, glancing at the bride and groom, "Indeed."  
  
****  
  
ooookay. Next Chapter soon. The gang will find out about Monica and Chandler, The Feds will catch the perpetrator, and much much more! Please review!! 


	12. For Love Or Music

~~So, I deleted the other seperate chapters and added them into this one, since ff.net changed their format back to the way it was originally (yay!) The only bad thing was, I lost all of those reviews, and that SUCKS, cuz I was totally stoked, cuz this series has gotten over 100 reviews! I was so excited about that!! I had only really planned a few chapters, but it was all the great feedback that kept it, and me, going this long!! I really appreciate the reviews, and hope you continue to review, because it is unbelievably helpful.   
  
Again, I gotta thank Talon, for all of her encouragement and fantastic ideas. You rock girlie!  
On with the show...  
  
The One Where They Make It, Part Ten  
"For Love or Music"  
  
  
~New York City, two weeks after Phoebe and Joey's Wedding~  
  
"Hi Ross," Monica said, inviting her brother into her apartment.  
  
"Hey, Mon," Ross replied, kissing her on the cheek.  
  
"Where's Rachel?"  
  
"She's on her way. You, uh, you said you needed to speak with me?"  
  
"Yeah," Monica felt her heart thumping against her chest. She wanted to tell Ross about the baby before anyone else found out. She was starting to show, and it was becoming increasingly difficult for her to hide it from everyone. She was glad that Ross hadn't hugged her just now.  
  
"Hey," Chandler said, as he entered the apartment.  
  
"Hey Chandler," Ross said, puzzled as to why Chandler was there.  
  
"Ross, let's sit down. We need to talk."  
  
Ross sat down on the sofa, and Monica sat next to him. Chandler paced around the room nervously, ready to bolt should Ross suddenly decide to kill him. As if he hadn't had enough attempts on his life.  
  
"What's going on?" Ross looked at Chandler, then at Monica, who took Ross' hand.  
  
"I...we, have some news."  
  
"Okay..." Ross was starting to get nervous. What the hell was going on?  
  
"Ross, I, um, I mean, Chandler, uh," Monica shook her head. This was too weird.  
  
"Ross, I am in love with your sister," Chandler finally said.  
  
"WHAT?"  
  
"Ross," Monica said sternly, "Calm down."  
  
"Okay, okay....WHAT?"  
  
"Ross, I love Chandler too. Please, please be happy for us."  
  
"Okay...um, okay. I can deal with this. Yeah. No big deal. My best friend and my little sister."  
  
"Ross..." Monica cautioned.  
  
"You know what? It's fine. I mean, it'sll take a little getting used to, but, hey, you are in love! That's great. Really."  
  
Monica smiled. "Really?"  
  
Ross hugged Monica. "Yes."  
  
"Good, cuz there's more," Monica said quickly.  
  
Ross' smile faded, and he sat back slowly.  
  
"Okaaaay."  
  
"I'm pregnant."  
  
Ross' face went pale. He stared at Monica blankly, then looked at Chandler. Chandler's eyes widened, and he started to inch his way toward the front door.  
  
"It's Chandler's?" Ross asked softly.  
  
"Of course it is."  
  
Ross nodded. "So, you aren't going to be touring with us, then?" he said, trying to focus on something other than the fact that Chandler and Monica were together.  
  
"Why the hell wouldn't I tour with you?" Monica asked.  
  
"You are pregnant!"  
  
"So? Look, I am fine, okay? You are only doing ten cities, it's not like we are flying all over the world!"  
  
"I just don't think it's a good idea," Ross said.  
  
"Well, it's not your decision. It's mine and Chandler's"  
  
"And you are okay with this?" Ross glared at Chandler.  
  
"Well, yeah, I mean, as long as the baby is okay."  
  
"What about this stalker-person who keeps trying to kill us?"  
  
Chandler looked at Monica, realizing that maybe Ross had a point. The road was no place for a pregnant woman.  
  
"Ross, just drop it, okay?" Monica said, exasperated by the conversation.  
  
"Fine," Ross growled, and walked toward the door. he stopped in front of it, and turned to Chandler and Monica.  
  
"Chandler, I will tell you this once. If you ever, ever hurt her, I will kill you myself."  
  
"Noted," Chandler croaked, as Ross slammed the door.  
  
"Well, that went well,' Monica said sarcastically.  
  
"Mon, maybe Ross is right. Maybe you shouldn't be out there."  
  
"Chandler, I will be fine, okay. I promise I will take care of myself, and our baby."  
  
Chandler nodded. "I'm just...nervous."  
  
"It will be fine. Okay?"  
  
"Okay," Chandler said reluctently. Inside, he couldn't help but wonder if they were doing the right thing.  
  
***  
  
~Vancouver, British Columbia, Two weeks later~  
  
After breaking the news to Ross, telling the others was easy. Eventually, the news was leaked to the media, and the band was met with a swarm of paparazzi wherever they went. Things between Ross and Monica and Chandler were never the same after Ross found out about the baby. Chandler could feel it, not only off stage, but on stage as well. The band's performances were satisfactory, but they no longer had the connection and tightness that had once made them the best live act around. The show that night in Vancouver was no exception.  
  
"Ross," Chandler called after his guitarist, following the show.  
  
"What's up, Chandler," Ross said cooly, as he headed toward the dressing room.  
  
"We need to talk," Chandler said breathlessly, as he caught up to Ross.  
  
"About?"  
  
"About all this stuff. Ross, I'd really like it if you could be happy for me and Monica."  
  
"Are you gonna marry her?" Ross asked.  
  
"I...I want to. But we aren't ready yet."  
  
"You are having a baby! How can you not be ready?"  
  
"We're just not. Look, Ross, Monica and I know what we are doing, okay?"  
  
"Really? Do you have any idea how hard it is gonna be to protect that baby after it's born? You are like, one of the most famous people in the world, Chandler. Adn now, thanks to you, Monica's face is on the cover of every magazine in the country."  
  
"So, what are you saying Ross? Are your saying you don't want to do this anymore?"  
  
"I'm saying that you need to think about your priorities."  
  
"I have my priorities in order, Ross."  
  
"Sure you do," Ross said, before disappearing into the dressing room.  
  
***  
  
~Los Angeles, California, One Week Later~  
  
  
"Chandler, are you sure about this?" Monica asked, as they waited in their hotel room for the reporter from Spin magazine to arrive.  
  
"Yeah. Look, Mon, I am not gonna be able to do all of this once the baby is born. And, despite your beliefs to the contrary, neither will you," Chandler grinned.  
  
"Very funny, Bing."  
  
A knock on the door annouced the arrival of the reporter, and Monica opened the door, as Chandler thought about all that he wanted to say. Years of being screwed by the media had taught Chandler one thing-only give as much information as is absolutely necissary. The reporter took a seat, and greeted Chandler, before asking the question that was being asked by everyone-  
  
"So, is it true that you guys are breaking up?"  
  
"It is," Chandler answered slowly, "For now, anyway."  
  
"Does this have anything to do with the fact that you are gonna be a father?"  
  
"Uh, a little. We just think that it's time that we do some stuff on our own. This was an amicable break. It is most likely not a permanant one either."  
  
"So, is tonight's show your last?"  
  
"We'll do one more in New York, our hometown, then call it quits."  
  
"Wow. Well, your fans will be saddened by this."  
  
"Worry not, we will be back."  
  
  
*******  
  
Okay, I am so sorry that this one is so short. I am working out exactly how I want to end this series, and I am having a bit of trouble with it, so for now, this is all I have. Please review, and let me know what you think! Thank You!!!!!! 


	13. Given To Fly

This chapter is dedicated to two of my brothers, Travis and Brad, who are the biggest Pearl Jam fanatics I have ever seen. The title of the chapter belongs to Pearl Jam, not me.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
The One Where They Make It, Part Eleven  
"Given To Fly"  
  
  
~New York City, Central Park, the night of the final show~  
  
  
Chandler sat on the sofa in the makeshift dressing room, aimlessly strumming his guitar. He could not believe that this was their final show. It was going to be strange, not touring, recording or promoting. He wondered what he was going to do with himself. He sat back, and thought about all that had happened since that first tour all those years ago. They were so young and stupid. Joey used to brag about how many women he could "bag" in a night, and now he was happily married. Chandler laughed at the irony of it. Joey Tribbianni, the playboy of the band, was the first to settle down.  
  
Not that Chandler hadn't had his fair share of wild nights. But he'd discovered, long before Joey had, that the meaningless sex gets old after a while. Soon, the late nights, heavy drinking, and one night stands had been replaced by all-night Gin sessions with Monica. They would end up playing cards until dawn, all the while making up stories to tell Joey and Ross about the "crazy party" they had stumbled upon. If they'd only known.  
  
Thinking about Monica made Chandler smile. He couldn't believe it had taken him so long to admit to himself, and to her, how much he loved her. His smile faded, however, when he thought about Ross, and the strange rift that had grown between them since Monica had announced her pregnancy. Chandler and Ross had always been like brothers, and it hurt Chandler to think that Ross no longer felt the same way. Chandler was so deep in thought, that he didn't realize that Ross was standing right in front of him.  
  
"Chandler!" Ross said. Chandler jumped, and hit a sour chord on his guitar.  
  
"Ehhh," Ross complained, upon hearing the chord.  
  
"Geez, you scared the hell out of me," Chandler said, as he fidgeted with the neck of his guitar.  
  
"Where were you just now?"  
  
"Thinking. Listen, Ross, can we talk for a minute?"  
  
"Actually, that's why I'm here. I wanted to talk to you too," Ross said, and took a seat on the sofa.  
  
"Ross, I know that you aren't really thrilled with me and Monica being together, but--"  
  
"That's what I came to tell you, Chandler. I talked to Monica, and she, kinda made me see that I had no right to be angry with either of you...especially seeing that I am dating *her* best friend."  
  
"Ah, that is a good point," Chandler said.  
  
"It was the pregnancy, really. I was just so shocked, ya know? I mean, I didn't know how to react, I guess."  
  
"YOU were shocked? Hell, you shoulda seen my reaction," Chandler laughed.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Monica was not happy with my reaction. I practially ran screaming from her place. I was in the doghouse for a week."  
  
"What did you have to do?" Ross laughed.  
  
"A lo-hot of begging. Oh, and I sang to her. That always works," Chandler grinned mischieviously.  
  
"Oh, really?" Ross said, arching an eyebrow.  
  
"Why the hell do you think I insisted we sing 'Faithfully' on Conan? I wasn't exactly trying to get into the Journey fan club."  
  
"Ah, now that makes sense," Ross laughed, "I was sure we were gonna have to do a Survivor cover on Leno or something."  
  
With that, Chandler began strumming the opening chords to 'Eye of the Tiger', just as Joey and Phoebe entered.  
  
"Oh, hell no, Chandler, we are NOT doing any Survivor covers! Ross, will you talk to him?" Joey pleaded.  
  
"What are you talking about, Joe? It was my idea!" Ross laughed.  
  
"We are not doing 'Eye of the Tiger' on our final night! Come on!"  
  
"We're kidding, Joe, calm down!"  
  
"We could do a cover," Chandler said, "What should we do?"  
  
"Uh, how about 'Time of Your Life' by Green Day!" Joey suggested.  
  
"How about 'Think of Tomorrow' by Chris Isaak," Phoebe suggested.  
  
"'Black Hole Sun'?"  
  
"'All The Small Things'?"  
  
"'The Space Between'?"  
  
"'Sexx Laws'?"  
  
"'Plush'?"  
  
"'The Bends'?"  
  
"Okay, stop it!" Chandler finally yelled. "How about we just do our songs, okay?"  
  
"Wait!" Joey said, snapping his fingers, "I got it!"  
  
  
***  
  
By the time the band was ready to take the stage, the crowd was in a frenzy. The electricity in the air was intoxicating. Standing just off stage, in a small, tight circle were Ross, Rachel, Chandler, Monica, Joey and Phoebe.  
The stood in their giant group hug, as the record crowd began chanting the band's name.  
  
"I can't believe this is our last show," Joey said.  
  
"It's gonna be weird, not waking up in some hotel room, huh?" Chandler added.  
  
"Yeah, but I think the break is for the best. We all need to gather some perspective," Ross glanced at Chandler.  
  
"Well, you'd better go give New York what they came for!" Phoebe said..  
  
"Break some hearts out there tonight guys," Monica said, as the group broke, and Ross, Joey and Chandler took to the stage.  
  
The crowd roared as the band broke into their first tune. Chandler glanced over at Ross, who winked and nodded back.  
They all knew that this was going to be their best show--ever.  
  
In the end, Joey's suggestion for a cover won out, mostly because all the guys loved the song, and loved paying homage to one of their favourite bands.   
  
"So, how ya feelin' New York?" Chandler screamed into the microphone.  
  
The crowd responded with a raucous applause, and wild screams.  
  
"I'm sorry, I missed that. HOW YA DOIN' NEW YORK!" Chandler screamed louder, causing his voice to crack.  
  
The crowd's response was even louder than before, and Chandler chuckled.  
  
"So, uh, we are gonna do one that's not ours', but we love the song, and we thought it would be a good way to go out."  
  
The crowd cheered, as Chandler and Ross broke into the opening chords of Pearl Jam's 'Given To Fly'.  
  
Standing in the wings, Monica grinned proudly. The show was going perfectly, and she couldn't think of a better way for the guys to end their long run on top of the world.   
  
"Miss Geller?"   
  
Monica turned to greet one of the FBI agents that she had been working with since San Francisco.  
  
"Agent Desmond, what's up? Is everything okay?"  
  
"Yeah, I just wanted to check in. I have to say, Central Park is not the easiest venue to police."  
  
"Yeah, I know, but we couldn't fit all of these people anyplace else," Monica explained.  
  
"It's a hell of a job you people have," Agent Desmond said, as he looked out onto the stage.  
  
"Yes it is," Monica said quietly.  
  
"I am going to strongly suggest that you get the band out of here immediately following the show tonight."  
  
"Why?" Monica turned to look at Agent Desmond, "Is something wrong?"  
  
"We haven't seen any evidence of a real threat, but with this being the band's final show and all...I just think it would be a good idea to get out of here as quickly as possible."  
  
"Okay." Monica looked out onto the stage again. The band was well into their last song before their first encore. She knew that Agent Desmond was just being cautious, but Monica suddenly felt very uneasy. She hoped that tonight would continue to run smoothly.  
  
The band made their exit, as the crowd chanted for more. They made a quick waredrobe change, and got ready to head back out onto the stage. Chandler glanced over at Monica, and noted the strange look on her face. His brow furrowed, and he  
walked over to her.  
  
"Mon, are you okay?"  
  
"Yeah, fine. Why?"  
  
"You look...I dunno, nervous."  
  
"I'm fine, really. I'm just kinda sad that this is the end, ya know?" Monica hoped that Chandler would buy the fib.  
  
"Oh. Well, it's not the end, really. It's just a break, ya know?"   
  
Monica nodded, as Chandler put his arm around her shoulders, and kissed her temple.  
  
Ross watched Chandler and Monica as they talked. He never really realized how close the two of them were. And while he still felt weird about the whole thing, he realized that maybe this was what they both needed. The way that he needed Rachel. In many ways, he was happy for the break from the band. It would give him and Rachel time alone together.  
He looked around, and spotted Rachel, fidgeting with Joey's jacket. He caught her eye, and she smiled warmly.  
  
Yep, a break was just what they needed.  
  
*  
  
The band took to the stage minutes later, and broke into their instrumental encore opener, "Interplanetary Courtship Ritual," a song penned by Ross while still in college. Chandler grinned everytime they played it, as he recalled his conversation with Ross the first time he'd heard the song.  
  
~1988, New York University~  
  
"So, what do you think?" Ross asked enthusiastically.  
  
"What's it called, again?" Chandler said, trying his best to sound as excited as Ross looked.  
  
"Interplanetary Courtship Ritual," Ross said, grinning broadly.  
  
"Well, it's certainly...um, unique," Chandler struggled to find non-offensive adjectives for the noise pollution that he was just exposed to.  
  
"Do you think we'll be able to use it?" Ross asked.  
  
"Maybe. It's an instrumental?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Hmmm. Do we really need the dog-barking in there?"  
  
"Well, no, not really."  
  
"And the helicopter?"  
  
"Okay."  
  
"And the siren?"  
  
"I think I see where you are going with this, man."  
  
"Look, Ross, I like the idea. But we...need to make sure that the audience sticks around. And, um, I am just not sure that everyone will appreciate this song...the way that you and I do."  
  
"That is true."  
  
"So, let's hear it one more time," Chandler said, picking up his guitar, "Without the, uh, cool sound effects."  
  
***  
  
~New York City, present day~  
  
As the band finished up their second encore, Chandler stepped to the mike to address the crowd.  
  
"Wow. Okay, as you may know, this is, um, gonna be our last show for a while. We, um, have decided that we need to take a break from the madness. But we wanted you all to know that we love you, and we thank you for coming out tonight--"  
  
"And we will be back!" Ross added. Chandler looked over at Ross, and smiled. They may be breaking up, and going their seperate ways professionally, but it was clear that the six friends would be seeing a lot of each other, even after the final curtain.  
  
~*~  
  
Okay, this really isn't the end. I will write more chapters, either as epilogues, or, if there is enough interest, I may just continue the series a while longer. Lemme know what you think, and for the love of God, give me some ideas, cuz I think I am fresh out!! 


	14. All Things Must Pass

I was all ready to finish up a couple of chapters on my other series' when two things happened. One, my disc was damaged, and I lost ALL of my fics, including the unfinished one's. And second, (and more importantly) former Beatle George Harrison died. I thought it more appropriate to continue this fic, seeing as it is my music fic.  
  
  
~Dedicated to the Memory of George Harrison~  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
  
The One Where They Make It, Twelve  
"All Things Must Pass"  
  
  
~New York City, one month after the final show~  
  
Ross sat in his apartment, aimlessly strumming his acoustic guitar. He thought about calling Chandler, but figured he'd still be asleep. It was only seven in the morning, but Ross felt like he needed to talk to someone. His second thought was to go into his bedroom and wake up Rachel, but he knew that she was not a morning person. The shrill sound of the phone startled him, and he jumped up to grab the phone before it woke up Rachel.   
  
"Hello?"  
  
"I figured you'd be up," Chandler's voice came onto the line.  
  
"Hey, man. I was just gonna call you," Ross replied.  
  
"So, I take it you heard," Chandler said quietly.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"You wanna go get some coffee?" Chandler asked.  
  
"Sure. I'll, uh, meet you at Central Perk in about 20 minutes?"  
  
"Sounds good. See ya there."  
  
"Alright, see ya."  
  
Ross hung up the phone, and jotted a quick note to Rachel, before grabbing his jacket and heading out the door.  
  
**  
  
Ross walked into Central Perk, and saw Chandler sitting at a small table in the corner of the cafe. So far, no one seemed to notice that he was there, which was fine by Ross. And he was sure that it was fine with Chandler too.  
  
"Hey," Ross said quietly, as he took a seat across from Chandler.  
  
"Hey. How ya doin?" Chandler asked.  
  
"Alright. It's just weird, ya know? I mean, it's the end of an era."  
  
"Yeah. I know he was a big influence on you, man."  
  
"Yeah, definitely one of my heroes."  
  
"Remember when we ran into him at the Grammy's?" Chandler laughed, " You would NOT shut up about...what the hell were you jabbering about, anyway?"  
  
"Mostly about England. Remember we had just gotten back from touring Europe?"  
  
"Yeah. But didn't you start talking incessantly about your shoes or something?"  
  
"I thought you couldn't remember what we were talking about!" Ross said, annoyed.  
  
Chandler laughed. "I was just wondering if you'd fess up to it."  
  
***  
  
~Los Angeles, California, 5 years earlier--The Grammy Awards~  
  
  
"I can't believe you forgot to thank your parents in your acceptance speech," Chandler laughed, as he, Joey and Ross walked off stage and toward the press galley.  
  
"I know, my mom is gonna kill me!" Ross whined, and Chandler and Joey laughed even harder.  
  
Chandler looked toward the main press room, where Alanis Morrissette was still talking to the press about her win.  
He scanned the room, and his eyes fell onto a familiar face.  
  
"Ross! Isnt' that George Harrison?"  
  
"Where?" Ross jerked his head toward the press room, and followed Chandler's extended finger.  
  
"George Harrison! It's George Harrison! I can't believe it!" Ross said excitedly, and Joey looked at him like he was a total idiot.  
  
"What's the big deal?" Joey asked.  
  
"Joey, are you kidding me? George Harrison is like, my biggest hero. Well, him, Eddie Van Halen, and Eric Clapton."  
  
"And?" Chandler prodded.  
  
"What?" Ross said, his face flushing.  
  
"You're other hero Ross, come on."  
  
"And CC Deville," Ross muttered.  
  
"The dude from Poison?" Joey laughed.  
  
"Yeah," Ross said, as Chandler and Joey broke into wild laughter.  
  
"It's okay Ross, I mean, 'Every Rose Has it's Thorn', right?" Joey laughed.  
  
"Shut up!" Ross yelled.  
  
"Hey, PMQ, congratulations, guys," George Harrison said, as he approached the band.  
  
"Thank you, Mr. Harrison," Chandler said, grinning like a mad man.  
  
"Please, Chandler, call me George, alright?"  
  
"A-hepuhlopne," Ross mumbled, as he laughed nervously.  
  
Chandler shot Ross a look, then turned his attention back to George.  
  
"We are all really big fans," Chandler said, trying to cover for Ross' temporary speech issues.  
  
"Aw, well, cheers, guys. And I must say, I am a fan of yours as well."  
  
"Really?" Chandler was taken aback by the surrealism of this encounter. He may be one of the most famous people in the world, but that didn't stop him from being absolutely floored when someone as legendary as George Harrison complimented them like this.  
  
"Oh, yeah, your second record, what's it called, uh--"  
  
"Shadows and Light," Joey said.  
  
"Right. That one is definitely in my top ten," George said.  
  
"WOW!.. Really?" Ross finally spoke, causing everyone to jump back.  
  
"Yeah, mate. It's a really good record. Not that your others aren't, but there is something about that early stuff."  
  
"One could argue the same about the Beatles," Chandler laughed.  
  
"Very true," George laughed, "Listen, guys, I am doing a benefit show on Thursday for a friend of mine who runs a shelter here in Los Angeles. Would you be interested in making an appearance?"  
  
"Wow, yeah, that'd be great!" Chandler said.  
  
"Excellent, I'll have Marcie ring your manager then, and set up the details," George said, smiling.  
  
"So, George," Ross said nervously, "We just, uh played in your home country a few weeks ago!"  
  
"Well, good for you, then," George said, looking at Ross strangely.  
  
"Yeah, yeah, we went down to Liverpool, you know, and...hey! As a matter of fact, that's where I bought these shoes!"  
  
"I see, yes, they look very English, don't they," George said sarcastically.  
  
"I think so too!" Ross said, not picking up on the sarcasm.  
  
"Uh huh," George said, as Chandler tried to pull Ross away.  
  
"You know, funny story, when I bought these shoes..." As Ross rattled off his pointless tale, Chandler shot George an apologetic look, and silently wondered if they would still be doing the aforementioned benefit.  
  
***  
  
~Central Perk, present day~  
  
"I can't believe he still wanted us to do the benefit after that," Chandler laughed.  
  
"It wasn't that bad," Ross said.  
  
"Are you kidding me? You cornered him for 15 minutes, talking about nothing but your stupid shoes!"  
  
"Whateverman. Like you've never acted like a total jackass in front of someone," Ross shot.  
  
"Not like that. And certainly not with a legend."  
  
"Oh, okay, need I bring up the Madonna incident?" Ross said.  
  
Chandler's cheeks flushed. "Hey, that was *her* idea, okay? And, uh, Monica doesn't know about that, so, uh, let's not  
bring that up in front of her."  
  
"How does Monica not know about that?" Ross asked.  
  
"Let's just say Madonna has a wizard for a publicist and leave it at that, okay?"  
  
"Whatever," Ross said.  
  
Chandler and Ross sat in silence for a minute, both in deep thought. Suddenly, the music in the cafe changed, as the white-haired owner put on "Cloud Nine", one of George Harrison's award-winning cd's.  
  
"What's your favourite George Harrison song, Ross?" Chandler asked.  
  
"Uh, 'My Guitar Gently Weeps', maybe. I dunno, I have a lot."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Do you remember when John Lennon was shot?"  
  
"Kinda. I was pretty young," Chandler pointed out.  
  
"Yeah. But it's like, even though we were young, there was no way to not notice that everything had changed, ya know?"  
  
"Yeah, I guess."  
  
"I wonder if kids today realize how important these guys are to music." Ross pondered.  
  
"Well, if it hasn't been covered by The Backstreet Boys, or sampled by Will Smith, I doubt they have any idea."  
  
"Nah, I think they know. I mean, how can they not? The Beatles have influenced every artist of our generation."  
  
"True, very true."  
  
"Wow. It's really over then, huh?"  
  
"Like you said, it's the end of an era," Chandler sighed.  
  
"Do you think we will leave a mark like that?"  
  
"No way. But I hope we will leave a small mark."  
  
"Maybe we will know we've made it when Snoop Dogg samples 'Emotional Knapsack', huh?" Ross laughed.  
  
"Right," Chandler laughed, as the waitress refilled their coffees.  
  
Chandler picked up his over-sized mug, and held it in the air.  
  
"To George," he said.  
  
"To George," Ross replied, and clinked Chandler's mug.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
  
Yeah, not much really happened here, I just wanted to get this out. Love To All. 


	15. I'll Be Home For Christmas

The One Where They Make It, Chapter Thirteen  
"I'll Be Home For Christmas"  
  
  
~New York City~  
  
"Chandler!" Monica yelled from the living room. Chandler sighed and set down his guitar, before heading into the living room for the sixth time in thirty minutes.  
  
"Yes, my love?" Chandler strolled into the living room from the practice room Monica had set up for him.  
  
"I can't reach the top of the tree," Monica stood in front of the fully decorated Christmas tree, with a sparkling gold tree topper in her hand.  
  
Chandler shook his head and laughed, before taking the big aluminum star from her.  
  
"Well, if you are this helpless at seven months, I shudder to think what you'll be like in February," Chandler laughed.  
  
"You can make all the wise cracks you want when you have a person growing inside of you," Monica grumbled.  
  
"Grr, touchy, touchy babe!" Chandler said, as he placed the star on top of the tree.  
  
"I can't believe you are complaining about doing this one little thing. I mean, I decorated the entire tree," Monica whined.  
  
"Well first of all," Chandler said, as he walked behind Monica and wrapped his arms around her, placing his hands on her swollen belly, "I was kidding. You know I'd do anything for you. And secondly, you did not decorate this entire tree. You called me in here every five minutes to help put on decorations that were either too high, or too low for you."  
  
"But--"  
  
"And," Chandler interrupted, "I did put the lights on."  
  
"Okay, fine. But don't you think it woulda been easier if you woulda stayed out here and helped me in the first place?" Monica batted her eyes dramatically.  
  
"Yes, but then, what would you have to complain about?"  
  
****  
  
"Rach, let's go!" Ross pulled his wool overcoat on, and straightened his bow tie on his tuxedo.  
  
"Coming, coming," Rachel scurried out of the bedroom, wearing a floor-length red sequined gown, and her long brown hair pulled up onto her head, with large curls framing her face.  
  
"Wow," Ross exclaimed.  
  
"You like what you see, cowboy?" Rachel purred.  
  
Ross nodded, and tried his best not to literally drool.  
  
"Well, the faster we get to this benefit, the faster we can get back," Rachel said seductively.  
  
"Maybe we don't need to go," Ross said, "Screw the kids."  
  
"Well, there's a good way to get yourself arrested," Rachel shook her head.  
  
"Wait, Rach," Ross said, as she headed for the door.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Are you gonna wear those earrings with that dress?" Ross said, pointing to Rachel's ears.  
  
"Um, yeah," Rachel said, as she felt herself becoming angry. What the hell was this about?  
  
"Well, I was thinking, you should maybe wear these instead," Ross pulled a small velvet box out of his pocket.  
  
"What?" Rachel's eyes lit up, as she took the box from Ross. She opened it, to find a pair of beautiful diamond and ruby earrings, sparkling in the light.  
  
"Ross! These are gorgeous!" Rachel said enthusiastically, as she kissed him on the lips and cheek.  
  
"Merry Christmas sweetheart," he said.  
  
****  
  
"Okay, I am gonna go get the rest of that stuff, and make a couple of calls. I should be back well before dinner," Chandler said casually, as he pulled his baseball cap low over his face.  
  
"Okay. Hey, can you pick up some mint chocolate chip ice cream on your way back?" Monica said  
  
"I just bought you some prailines and cream--did you already finish that?"  
  
"Are you arguing with the pregnant woman?"  
  
"Not at all," Chandler laughed, and kissed Monica on the nose, as he headed out the door.  
  
*  
  
Chandler keyed into his downtown apartment, and walked in. It was strange, he no longer really felt at home here anymore. He spent more time at Monica's these days, looking after her and the baby-to-be. He laughed to himself, as he noted that most of his stuff seemed to be over at Monica's as well.  
  
"Maybe I should just move in there," Chandler said to himself. It wasn't a bad idea. With the baby on the way, he was going to want to be as close as possible. Chandler decided that he'd better talk to Monica about it. He walked into his room, and flipped on the light. His eyes scanned the room, as he tried to remember why he had come over in the first place. Oh, right, candles. He knew he had them...somewhere. His eyes fell onto his bed, and a small box that sat on it. Where did that come from? The box was gold, and was decorated with a large red bow. Chandler smiled, and realized that it must be the work of Monica. He pulled off the ribbon, and opened the box, excitedly. He pulled out what appeared to be some kind of rag doll. Chandler looked at the doll, then noticed that the doll was dressed just like him. Weird. As he turned the doll over, he saw that there were several silver needles protruding from the doll's back. Chandler dropped the doll, realizing what it was. He looked at the voodoo doll suspiciously, then peered around the room, wondering if the person who had put the doll on his bed was still in the apartment. The idea that someone who wanted him dead had been in his home made Chandler physically ill. He walked to the telephone to call the police, and saw that there was a note sitting on top of the phone. Chandler cautiously picked up the note, and unfolded it.  
  
"Ashes, Ashes, we all fall down," Chandler read aloud. "What the hell was that supposed to mean?" It was then that Chandler heard the popping. He ran out into the living room, and saw that the front door and wall of his apartment was completely engulfed in flames.  
  
*  
  
"Hey guys," Monica said, as Joey and Phoebe walked into the apartment.  
  
"Hey Mon, sorry we're late. We would have been here sooner but...did you know that there is a whole bunch of paprazzi outside of your building?" Joey asked.  
  
"Oh, Joey, I'm sorry, I should have told you to use the side enterance. They have been out there ever since the pregnancy rumour was 'confirmed' by MTV," Monica said, taking Joey and Phoebe's coats.  
  
"Where's Chandler?"  
  
"At his apartment, picking up a few things. He should be back any minute," Monica said.  
  
"Well, he'd better hurry, 'cause that storm is getting worse," Phoebe said.  
  
"Good, maybe it'll scare off some of those photographers," Monica laughed, as she walked toward the window.  
  
*  
  
Downstairs, the wind and snow began to pick up, and several of the photographers had decided that frostbite and hypothermia were just not worth it. They began to pack up and leave, hoping that either Monica or Chandler would make an appearance tomorrow. As the crowd of paparazzi cleared, a dedicated fan found herself alone on the frozen sidewalk. She peered up into the apartment window on the second floor, and saw a pregnant woman appear in front of it. It was Monica. The woman on the street watched Monica, as she looked out into the night. She thought carefully about ways to get Monica out of the picture, so that she could have Chandler all to herself. After all, they were meant to be together.  
  
Forever.  
  
****  
  
Black plumes of smoke began to fill the apartment rapidly, as Chandler made his way toward the bedroom. He pulled on his bedroom window, intending to use his fire escape. The window wouldn't budge, and Chandler noted that it had been painted shut. Whomever it was that had done this had obviously planned it well. Chandler grabbed a towel from his bathroom, and wrapped it around his arm, punching through the thick glass. He kicked out the remaining shards of glass, and threw the note into the box with the doll, before jumping throught the window, and onto the fire escape. He turned to see the fire spreading into his bedroom, burning at at alarming rate. He made his way down the fire escape, and saw that the majority of his building had been evacuated, and the fire department was screaming down the street. He jumped onto the ground, and slipped into an alley, hoping to escape the inevitable presence of the media. As he caught his breath, he bagan to cough uncontrollably, and realized that he needed to get out of the cold night air. He closed his eyes, and took one last deep breath, before bowing his head, and making his way to the nearest subway station.  
  
****  
  
"Can we go yet?" Ross whispered into Rachel's ear, as they walked toward the bar.  
  
"A few more minutes, honey," Rachel said, scanning the room.  
  
"Are you still looking for Brad Pitt?" Ross asked, jealously tinging his voice.  
  
"What? No!" Rachel said, as she scanned the room some more.  
  
"Then what are you doing?"  
  
"Just looking. There are a lot of celebrities here that I haven't met yet," Rachel said.  
  
"I'm all the celebrity you need, babe," Ross joked.  
  
"Besides, it's not like I'm gonna hit on Brad Pitt, or anything. He's married to that skinny actress," Rachel said.  
  
"I knew it!" Ross said, a little too loudly.  
  
"Ross, I was kidding," Rachel said, smiling. "Let's get outta here."  
  
*  
  
Ross and Rachel got into the limosine, and Ross instructed the limo driver where to go.  
  
"Where are we going?" Rachel asked, when she noted that Ross hadn't given the driver his or her address.  
  
"I need to drop this off at Chandler's," Ross said, pulling a set of papers out of his jacket pocket.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"Just some legal crap we had to sign. I was supposed to get it to him, like two days ago, and he called me this morning to tell me that he needed it ASAP, so I just figured we could stop there on the way home."  
  
Suddenly, the limo slowed, and came to a stop almost a block away from Chandler's building.  
  
"What's going on?" Ross asked the driver.  
  
"Looks like the block is cut off, Mr. Geller. That building is on fire."  
  
Ross peered out the windshield of the limo, then sat back and opened the car door.  
  
"Ross, what are you doing?" Rachel said, as he stepped out of the car.  
  
"It's Chandler's building," Ross said, and jogged toward the building.  
  
"Oh my God," Rachel said, and picked up the car phone.  
  
****  
  
"So, are you gonna buy the house?" Monica asked, as she and Phoebe finished preparing dinner.  
  
"I think so. I really love it, and Joey seems genuinly excited about it. He said that the security system needs to be updated, but otherwise, he loves it. He is really concerned about security, especially since the FBI never found out who did all that stuff to the band," Phoebe said.  
  
"Well, I can't wait to see it. As for security, things seemed to have cooled down a bit since they stopped touring. Hopefully, we'll find out who did all this soon, though."  
  
"Mon, the food smells gooood," Joey called from the living room.  
  
"Is that a hint?" Monica laughed.  
  
"Yeah! Where the hell is Chandler! I wanna eat!"  
  
"Good question. He's been gone for two hours. Maybe I should call him," Monica reached for the phone, but it rang before she had a chance to pick it up.  
  
"Oh, spooky," Phoebe laughed.  
  
"Hello?" Monica answered on the second ring.  
  
"Mon, it's Rachel," came the voice on the other end of the phone.  
  
"Oh, hey Rach, how was the benefit?"  
  
"It was great! Uh, Mon, is Chandler there?"  
  
"No, he went back to his apartment to get some stuff we needed for dinner, why?"  
  
"So, you haven't heard from him since he left?"  
  
"No. What's going on, Rach?"  
  
"It's just...okay, maybe he's on his way back to your place, but, Ross and I were driving by his building, and the thing is-"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Mon, the whole building is on fire. Ross went to get more information, but--wait, Mon, Ross is back,"  
  
"Oh my God," Monica was beginning to panic, as she listened to Ross and Rachel fumble with the phone.  
  
"What's up, Mon?" Joey asked.  
  
"Chandler's building is on fire," Monica said quickly, then heard Ross come on the phone, "Ross? Did you find him?"  
  
"No, but the firefighter I talked to said that they haven't found anyone. Maybe he wasn't there."  
  
"I'm coming down there," Monica said.  
  
"No, you are not, Monica. The smoke is bad for the baby. Just stay there, and we'll see what we can find."  
  
"Okay, but you call me the second you know anything."  
  
"I will, Mon, try to stay calm, okay?"  
  
Monica closed her eyes. She was anything but calm.  
  
****  
  
Chandler sat on the subway, trying to recover from his latest coughing fit. He was used to getting stared at on those rare occasions when he used the subway, but tonight, people were giving him a rather strange look. He'd finally realized that it was because his hands, clothes and face were totally black, covered in soot. His arm where he had climbed through the window had blood on it as well, and Chandler chuckled at the thoughts that must be running through these people's heads. The subway slowed, and Chandler looked up at the sign on the tiled station wall. Two more stops, and he'd be home. The subway started up again, and began moving through the darkened tunnel. Suddenly, the subway came to a grinding halt, as all of the lights in the car went out. The driver said something that was completely indecypherable over the loudspeaker, and Chandler sighed, as he sat in pitch blackness.   
  
"Could things get any worse?" Chandler thought aloud. Suddenly, as if on cue, he began coughing again.  
  
****  
  
"Okay," Ross said, getting back into the limo, "they don't think anyone was in the building, but they think the fire originated in Chandler's apartment," Ross sighed heavily. He decided that it would be best to keep that last bit of information from his sister until they'd found Chandler. The last thing she needed was to put more stress on the baby.  
  
"What do you want to do?" Rachel asked.  
  
"I guess we should go over to Monica's" Ross sighed, "There's not much we can do here."  
  
****  
  
Twenty minutes after it had stopped, the subway started up again, crawling ever so slowly toward the next station. The train managed to make it to the station, and it was evacuated. Chandler made his way up the steps and out of the station, only to be met with a fierce wind, and an icy storm. He pulled his coat up around his ears, and made his way down the street, as the storm seemed to grow heavier with each step. This was shaping up to be one hell of a Christmas, Chandler thought, as he made his way onto the block where Monica lived. He rushed into her building, and shook the snow and cold off of him, before making his way upstairs to her apartment.  
  
****  
  
Joey, Phoebe, Monica, Ross and Rachel sat in silence, as the wind hit the windows with full force, causing them to rattle furiously. Joey looked up, and opened his mouth to say something, then decided against it. Suddenly, Chandler came flying through the door, coughing, once again.  
  
"Chandler! Thank God! Are you okay?" Monica and the others rushed to greet him.  
  
"This has only been the worst day of my life," Chandler grumbled, as he set the box on the kitchen table, and pulled off his soiled coat and hat.  
  
"Oh, sweetie," Monica hugged Chandler before he could protest, and when she pulled away, he pointed to the black soot that now covered her arms, belly and face.  
  
"It was worth it," Monica laughed.  
  
"Dude, what's in the box?" Joey asked.  
  
"It's a voodoo doll and a suspicious note that need to be taken to the cops," Chandler said, opening the box.  
  
"They were in your apartment?" Ross asked.  
  
"Yeah. I found them right before my place was torched," Chandler sighed.  
  
"I'm sorry, Chandler," Rachel said.  
  
"Eh, I was thinking about just moving in here anyway," Chandler grinned at Monica.  
  
"Oh, ya think so, huh? Well, maybe I don't wanna live with a Rock star," Monica joked.  
  
"Well, maybe you don't have a choice."  
  
Monica laughed, and covered the box, before setting it aside. "Go take a shower, so we can eat dinner, Rock star."  
  
"Yeah, baybee!" Joey yelled, sitting down at the kitchen table.  
  
Chandler made his way into the bathroom, shaking his head. He rubbed his soar throat, and made a mental note to go see a doctor about his smoke inhalation. But tonight, he was just going to enjoy some peace and quiet, and the company of his best friends, in his new home.  
  
~*~  
  
More to come...  
Happy Holidays everyone!! 


	16. Come What May

The One Where They Make It, Chapter Fourteen  
"Come What May"  
  
"Well, you won't be singing for a while, that's for sure," Dr. Harrison stated flatly. Chandler had gone to see his doctor a week after the fire, hoping that the effects of the smoke inhalation were temporary.  
  
"Well, I guess that means the solo project will have to wait," Chandler laughed uneasily.  
  
"I'm afraid so," Dr. Harrison said, as he wrote Chandler a prescription.  
  
Chandler thanked the doctor, and left the office quickly. He shook his head, and hoped that everything would work out. Not that he needed the money. But what was he going to do, if he couldn't sing?  
  
***  
  
Monica and Rachel wandered around the Baby Gap, snapping up every cute outfit they could find.  
  
"Chandler is gonna kill me when he sees all of this," Monica laughed.  
  
"Ah, it's not like he can't afford it," Rachel replied non-chalantly.  
  
Monica laughed, and turned toward the window just in time to see a figure disappear behind the adjacent wall. She shook her head. If she didn't know better, she'd say they were being followed. It was probably some photographer, trying to get photos for a tabloid. Monica shook her head, and laughed to herself.  
  
"What?" Rachel asked.  
  
"Nothing. I just--don't you find all of this funny?"  
  
"What? The Gap?"  
  
"No--fame. We are both famous now, because we are dating famous people. Don't you find that odd?"  
  
"I guess. I don't really think about it much. I mean, we've known these guys for so long, I sometimes forget just how famous they are, ya know?"  
  
"Yeah. Do you ever wonder what it would be like if they had never made it? If they had stayed in college, and gotten normal jobs?"  
  
"It would be so weird," Rachel laughed, "I mean, can you picture Ross as a paleontologist?"  
  
"No," Monica laughed, "Not at all."  
  
***  
  
Janice watched Monica and Rachel from across the street. She couldn't understand why Chandler had chosen that woman over her. It was obvious that *she* and Chandler belonged together.  
And soon, the rest of the world would realize that too.  
Janice formulated a plan in her mind. The only way to get to Chandler was to get Monica out of the way. But how? Kill her? Yeah, right. She couldn't do that. Maybe she could break them up. Janice watched as Monica and Rachel walked out of the shop, carrying multiple shopping bags. She looked at Monica's swollen belly, and smiled, as a brilliant idea came to her.  
It was perfect.  
  
***  
  
Chandler sat in the apartment he now shared with Monica, fidgeting with the Les Paul Goldtop that Monica had gotten him for Christmas. She knew he had really wanted it, even though he already owned about twenty guitars. He strummed the newly tightened strings, and wished he could sing along with the tune. He sighed, and set down the guitar, just as Monica and Rachel came trapesing in.  
  
"Hey hon," Monica said.  
  
"Hey--geez, are you sure you didn't forget anything?" Chandler quipped, noting the multiple bags.  
  
"They're for the baby," Monica reasoned, and took the bags into the nursery.  
  
"And you let her do this?" Chandler grinned at Rachel.  
  
"Are you kidding? I encourage this kind of behavior," Rachel laughed.  
  
"Chandler!" Monica yelled from the nursery. Chandler and Rachel raced into the nursery, only to find Monica standing in the middle of the room, holding her stomach, a pool of liquid at her feet. "It's time," she said.  
  
"What? You're not due for like, four weeks!" Chandler protested.  
  
"Well, someone forgot to tell your kid!" Monica snapped.  
  
"Okay, okay, uh, Rachel, go get a cab, and have them pull around to the side of the building. We'll be down in a minute." Chandler knew that the media was already camped out front, and that was the last thing they needed to deal with right now.  
  
"On my way," Rachel raced out the door.  
  
"Okay babe, I'll go get the bag, and then we are off! Are you okay?"  
  
"Other than the fact that I have a person trying to get out of me, I am just dandy!" Monica grimaced.  
  
"Got it," Chandler ran into the bedroom and grabbed Monica's bag, and then escorted her down to the cab.  
  
***  
  
~One Week Later~  
  
"Hey," Chandler walked into the room, and sat next to Monica.   
  
"Hey," Monica replied, after accepting a kiss from Chandler.  
  
"How is he today?"  
  
"They are gonna let him out later tonight, I think," Monica sighed.  
  
"That's good, right?"  
  
"Yeah," Monica said softly, placing her hand on the incubator.  
  
"He's still so tiny," Chandler said with wonderment.  
  
"Yeah," Monica said absently.  
  
"Hey, Andrew," Chandler said softly. "Are you okay, Mon?"  
  
"Yeah, I am now that I know Andrew is going to be okay."  
  
Chandler smiled, and placed his arm around Monica's shoulder's. She accepted happily, and put her weary head on his chest, sighing heavily. "I love you," she said sofly.  
  
"I love you too," Chandler kissed the top of her head.  
  
***  
  
~One Month Later~  
  
"You guys are never gonna believe this," Chandler said, as he greeted the gang at Central Perk.  
  
"What?" Phoebe asked.  
  
"Look," Chandler dropped a copy of the Daily News into the table. The gang looked at the paper closely, then sat back in shock.  
  
"Janice is claiming that you got her pregnant?"  
  
"Yup."  
  
"Wow, she really is nuts," Joey said.  
  
"Well, I'm actually not that surprised," Monica said, shifting Andrew in her arms.  
  
"Really?" Rachel asked.  
  
"I think she's been following me," Monica said, watching Chandler for his reaction.  
  
"What? Mon, why didn't you tell me?"  
  
"Because I didn't think it was a problem, really. I honestly don't think she is capable of hurting anyone."  
  
"But what about all the crap that has been happening?"  
  
"Chandler, Janice is obsessed with you. Why would she want to kill you?"  
  
"She has a point," Joey said.  
  
"Whatever. I still think we should talk to the police about this. She's probably not even really pregnant."  
  
Monica smiled, and shook her head. He was just too cute.  
  
"So, Chandler, what did the doctor say?" Phoebe asked.  
  
"Oh, he thinks I'll be fine. I just need to practice. I haven't sung for a while."  
  
"No time like the present."  
  
"Ha ha," Chandler shook his head.  
  
"Hey, free show for all these people. Nothing would piss off the record company more."  
  
"Oh, I do like pissing off the record company."  
  
"How about a little reunion," Ross said, his eyes gleaming mischieviously.  
  
"Yeah!" Joey said happily.  
  
Chandler shook his head. "Okay, I'll go get my guitar."  
  
Twenty minutes later, the patrons of Central Perk were shocked as Chandler, Ross and Joey took to the small stage in the window, and gave an impromtu performance. Monica smiled, as Chandler tried out his rusty vocal chords on a song she knew all too well. Chandler had sung it to her when they first started going out.  
  
  
Never knew I could feel like this  
Like I've never seen the sky before  
Want to vanish inside your kiss  
Every day I love you more and more  
Listen to my heart, can you hear it sing?  
Telling me to give you everything  
Seasons may change  
Winter to Spring  
But I love you, until the end of time.  
  
Come What May  
Come What May  
I will love you until my dying day.  
  
Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place  
Suddenly moves with such a perfect grace  
Suddenly my life doesn't seem such a waste  
It all revolves around you  
And there's no mountain too high  
No river too wide  
Sing out this song and I'll be there by your side  
Storm clouds may gather  
And stars may collide  
But I love you  
Until the end of time  
  
Come What May  
Come What May  
I will love you until my dying day  
Oh, come what may  
Come what may  
I will love you (I will love you)  
Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place  
Come What May  
Come What May  
I will love you until my dying day.  
  
~*~  
  
"Come What May" (Moulin Rouge version) written by David Baerwald.  
  
Uh, not my finest work, but it'll have to do for now. I am trying to come up with a decent Joey/Phoebe storyline...any suggestions? ;-) 


	17. Obsession

Okay, so I know that it takes me a really long time to update this fic. I apologize for that. Honestly, this fic is getting difficult to write, and I find myself writing total crap when I finally get something down (see the last chapter). I hope to wrap this fic up in the next few chapters, and really, the only reason I am even continuing is because I have loose ends I need to tie up, and I have gotten several e.mails/reviews asking when I am going to tie up the loose-ends, LOL.  
Again, I am sorry for the delay, and I am sorry that this fic is slowly turning into....eh.  
  
  
The One Where They Make It, Chapter Fifteen  
"Obsession"  
  
~New York City~  
  
Janice sat in the empty coffeehouse, drumming her fingers anxiously on the tabletop. Her plans to ruin Chandler and Monica's relationship had not worked out as well as she had hoped. In fact, the two seemed even closer than ever. Janice picked up her copy of "In Style" magazine, and thumbed through the pages of celebrity families. The magazine almost automatically fell to page 98, since it was the only page Janice ever looked at. The photograph was taken inside Chandler and Monica's apartment, not far from where Janice was sitting at the moment. Chandler was sitting on a cream-coloured sofa, his arms wrapped around Monica. And Monica was holding their son in her arms. Chandler and Monica were laughing. They were happy, and they wanted to show the world just how happy they were. They wanted to show *her* just how happy they were. Janice slammed the magazine shut with a huff, causing the white-haired shop owner (the only other person in the shop) to jump, startled.   
  
Janice's plan to show the world that she was carrying Chandler's child fell through when her pregnancy-the result of a one night stand with some guy she'd met in a bar-ended abruptly. In her own mind, she wanted to blame Chandler for the loss, since he refused to care about her. But the person she hated more than anyone was Monica. She felt her eyes fill with bitter tears, as the images from the magazine stuck in her head. She needed Chandler, now, more than ever.  
  
He would love her again. He had to.  
  
****  
  
Chandler tapped his pencil nervously against his chin, as he and Howard, his sound engineer, sat in the mixing room, running through the album. Chandler had just layed down the final track to his solo debut, and was now fussing over the newly mixed tracks.  
  
"Wait," Channdler said, sitting up straight and looking at Howard, "Go back to the bridge."  
  
Howard, a burly, bearded man with a black Harley Davidson t-shirt and a tattoo of an eagle on his right forearm, nodded silently and hit a few buttons, getting the tape back to the exact spot Chandler was asking for.  
  
"Okay," Chandler said, pointing his finger in the air, to puncuate the point he was about to make, "Did you hear that? That weird little riff? What was that?"  
  
"Dunno. We can bring the session guys back in, have 'em lay down another take."  
  
"Hmm." Chandler pondered the possibility for a minute. He knew he couldn't leave the track like that. No one would notice the flaw but him, most likely. But *he* would always know it was there.  
  
"We may have another take already layed out, Chandler," Howard suggested, seeing Chandler's hesitance to bring the session players back in.  
  
"Okay, lemme go through those," Chandler nodded, then sighed. "This is what I get for not doing this with Ross and Joey," he shook his head.  
  
Howard chuckled, and began shuffeling through his tapes, "Karma will always come back to haunt you, man."  
  
"Whoa, Howard, I had no idea you were one of those 'karma, dharma, new-age' folks," Chandler laughed.  
  
"Yeah, well, don't go telling people," Howard laughed, as he pulled out the tapes he was looking for.  
  
*  
  
Chandler left the SoHo studio two hours later, satisfied with the track, but still unsure about the album as a whole. He decided to let it lay for a few days, figuring that he could probably use a second opinion on it. He made his way back to the apartment, careful to avoid the posse of paparazzi that had made the sidewalk outside of his building their permenant home. He bounded up the steps to the second floor, and walked down the hall toward the apartment. He pulled out his key, and was surprised to see that the door was already opened. He pushed open the door, and flipped on the living room light. His eyes widened, and his keys fell out of his hand, at the sight that lay before him. The apartment was completely thrashed. Dishes were broken, papers and food covered the floor. The sofa was torn up, the curtains pulled off of the windows. There was graffitti spray painted on the windows and walls, though Chandler could not make out what it said. His momentary shock subsided, and melted into panic.  
  
"Monica?" Chandler yelled frantically. He ran from room to room, but found no sign of Monica or Andrew.  
He felt his heart pounding, and a sharp pain ran through his temple. He moved to pick up the phone, just as it rang.  
  
"Hello?" Chandler said into the receiver.  
  
"Chandler? It's Ross."  
  
"Ross, I can't talk right now...have you seen Monica?"  
  
"Yeah, she and Andrew are here with us. We just called the studio, they said you left half an hour ago."  
  
"Are they okay?"  
  
"Yeah, they're fine. They weren't there when it happened. The police are on their way here. We told them we didn't want to make a scene at your place. They are sending someone over to take photos, but you should come over here. Oh, Monica wants to talk to you. Hang on."  
  
Chandler heard the phone changing hands, then Monica's voice came on the line.  
  
"Hey sweetie," Monica said calmly.  
  
"Mon, thank God," Chandler sighed.  
  
"I'm fine, Andrew's fine. But I don't think we should stay at the apartment."  
  
"You're right. Lemme gather some stuff, and I'll meet you at Ross and Rachel's"  
  
"Okay. Hey, can you grab Andrew's blanket from the crib?"  
  
"Yeah. Anything else?"  
  
"Just you," Monica giggled.  
  
"Kay. I'll be there shortly. I love you."  
  
"I love you too, baby."  
  
Chandler hung up the phone, and gathered some essentials for him, Monica and Andrew. A few sets of clothes, toothbrushes and other toiletries, Andrew's blanket, extra diapers, and a stuffed toy Joey had given him. Chandler was about to leave, but paused, and rushed back into the bedroom. He pulled open his nightstand drawer, and dug to the bottom, pulling out the black velvet box he'd purchased three months ago. He opened the box, reassuring himself that the ring was still there. He dropped the ring into his jacket pocket, and headed to Ross and Rachel's.  
  
***  
  
Janice was arrested for breaking and entering, and willful destruction. While the police found plenty of evidence to place her in Chandler and Monica's apartment, they could find no connection between this crime, and the fire at Chandler's old place, nor could they find any reason to hold her for the previous attempts on the band's life. Janice was released on bail, and was issued a restraining order. She was not allowed to be anywhere near Chandler, Monica, or Andrew, and this frusterated her. How was she supposed to prove to Chandler how much she loved him, if she couldn't go near him?   
  
***  
  
~Three Weeks Later, NYC~  
  
The man watched, as Chandler and Monica made their way out of the apartment building. He followed them closely, but not so close that he would be noticed. He watched them enter a small restaurant, and take a seat at a small corner table. He spyed for several minutes, before making his way down the street. As he passed an HMV, he saw a large advertisement for Chandler's new album. His eyes narrowed, and the hatred he had felt before came bubbling to the surface. He knew that he would probably only get one more chance for revenge. This time, he couldn't fail.  
  
*  
  
"Oh, Ross, look at Andrew!" Rachel cooed.  
  
Ross looked up from his book and smiled. "He's making that face again," he commented.  
  
"He is just so cute," Rachel sighed.  
  
"Is this a hint, Rach? Cuz I was thinking we should have a wedding first," Ross smiled.  
  
"Is that a proposal?" Rachel raised her eyebrow suspiciously.  
  
"Uh--" The phone rang, interrupting Ross before he could reply. He sighed, relieved to have the distraction. He saw Rachel out of the corner of his eye, shaking her head and laughing, as he picked up the phone.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Ross, it's Joey."  
  
"Hey, man, what's up?"  
  
"I got a couple of Knicks tickets in the mail--you and Chandler wanna go to a game? We can try to get ourselves on 'Entertainment Tonight' again," Joey laughed.  
  
"Yeah...well, actually, Chandler and Monica are out to dinner and a play. Me and Rach are watching Andrew."  
  
"Oh. Well, can you go? They're playing the Lakers!"  
  
"Hang on," Ross covered the reciever and gave Rachel his best puppy-dog look, "Rach, can I go with Joey to the Knicks game? I mean, you really don't need *my* help with Andrew, right?"  
  
"Well, I don't know, I mean, you've been *so* helpful so far..." Rachel replied sarcastically.  
  
"Rach--"  
  
"Yes, go, go. We'll be fine. Won't we Andrew?" Rachel looked over at Andrew, as though she was expecting him to reply. Instead he just gurgled.  
  
"I'm there, dude," Ross said into the phone.  
  
***  
  
"Thank you, again for...well, everything tonight," Monica smiled, as she and Chandler made their way up to Ross and Rachel's apartment.  
  
"Thank *you* for coming with me," Chandler grinned.  
  
Monica wrapped her arms around Chandler's waist, as he keyed his way into the apartment. He turned and put his arm around Monica, and led her into the darkened apartment.  
  
"I'm gonna go check on Andrew," Monica whispered, and headed toward the small nursery Rachel had set up for the baby. Chandler and Monica shared the adjacent room, and would be staying in the apartment for two more weeks, while the house that Chandler had purchased a week prior was remodeled.  
  
Chandler nodded and headed toward the kitchen. He flipped on the light, and pulled a water glass from the cupboard. As he turned to the sink, he saw something out of the corner of his eye. He set down the glass, and walked into the dining room. The light from the kitchen shone into the dining room only slightly. Chandler flipped on the light, and was taken aback by what lay before him.  
  
"Rachel?"  
  
Rachel lay in a twisted heap on the dining room floor, and a broken chair lay just to her right. Chandler crouched down next to her, and turned her over. A large bruise was forming on her face, and there was a large cut over her right eye. Chandler cradled her head in his hands, and tried to rouse her.   
  
"Chandler?" Monica yelled from the other room.  
  
"In here!" Chandler yelled back.  
  
A few seconds later, Monica made her way into the kitchen.  
  
"Chandler, I can't find Andrew. Are Ross and Rachel here?" Controlled panic lined Monica's voice as she spoke. She walked into the dining room, and gasped. "Oh, my God, Rachel! Chandler, what happened?"  
  
"I don't know. Where the hell is Ross?"  
  
As though on cue, Ross walked into the apartment.   
  
"Ross!" Monica made a beeline for her brother, "Is Andrew with you?"  
  
"No, he's with Rachel. They're not here?" Ross asked.  
  
Monica didn't reply. Her face paled, and she tumbled backward toward the wall. Chandler looked up, and upon seeing Monica's panicked state, knew exactly what had happened.  
  
"Ross," Chandler called out, trying his hardest to keep his voice steady, "Call the police."  
  
*  
A/N: I promise to try really hard to get this thing going again. Thanks to Talon for her input.  
REVIEW! 


	18. The Trouble With Fame

The One Where They Make It, Chapter Sixteen  
"The Trouble With Fame"  
  
"Rachel? Rachel, wake up."  
  
Rachel's eyes fluttered open, and she groaned. Her head was throbbing, and her body was aching. Her eyes focused, and she looked up at Chandler.  
  
"Hey," Chandler smiled slightly, though Rachel noticed that he seemed distracted and disturbed.  
  
"What happened?" Rachel asked softly, putting her hand on her head.  
  
"I was kinda hoping you could tell us," Chandler whispered.  
  
Ross appeared next to Chandler, looking panicked and distraught.  
  
"Rach, thank God!" Ross grabbed her hand and kissed it.  
  
Chandler stood up, and let Ross take his place on the floor next to Rachel. Ross looked up at Chandler as he made his way toward Monica. "The police are on their way," Ross said.  
  
"Thanks," Chandler replied robotically. Ross watched as Chandler sat next to Monica, and tried once again to reach out to her. But she was already in shock, and Ross watched sadly as Chandler sat next to her, looking helpless.  
  
"Ross, Janice was here. I...she...I don't know why she suddenly attacked me..."  
  
"Janice? Oh my God," Ross muttered.  
  
"Ross, what's going on?" Rachel tried to sit up, but a searing pain shot through her head, and she winced.  
  
"Here, let me help you," Ross picked Rachel up, and carried her to their bedroom.  
  
"Ross, is everything okay?"  
  
"Janice took Andrew," Ross whispered.  
  
"What?"  
  
"I know, I can't believe this is happening. I just never thought that she was capable of..."  
  
"We don't know what she'd capable of, honey," Rachel sighed.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
The police arrived ten minutes later, and took a full report. After they left, Ross and Chandler called Joey and Phoebe, and told them the news. Then they took Rachel and Monica to the hospital.  
  
*  
  
"They're gonna find them, Chandler," Ross stated quietly. He and Chandler were sitting in the waiting room of Beth Israel Medical Center.  
  
"I hope you're right," Chandler whispered, not looking up. He was trying his hardest to be the strong one, but it was killing him. Monica was a total wreck, and was not responding to anyone. Chandler felt like he had somehow let her down, and had no idea how to right the wrong. He sighed, and buried his face in his hands.  
  
None of this would have ever happened, if he wasn't famous.  
  
  
"Hey, what's going on? Are you guys okay?" Joey and Phoebe came rushing into the waiting room, breaking the sad silence.  
  
"Hey guys. Rachel and Monica are both being looked at. Rachel has a mild concussion...I think they are gonna make her stay here overnight. And Monica went into shock..." Ross said quietly.  
  
"Chandler, sweetie, how are you doing?" Phoebe crouched down in front of Chandler.  
  
Chandler dropped his hands, and looked at Phoebe sadly. Phoebe took his hands in hers.  
  
"This is all my fault," he whispered.  
  
"What? How is this your fault?" Joey asked.  
  
"This happened because of me. Because of what I do--"  
  
"Chandler, this is not your fault. This could have happened to anyone, no matter who they are."  
  
"If anyone is to blame," Ross interjected, "It's me. I left Rachel alone with Andrew."  
  
"Look you guys," Joey said, "The only person to blame is the person who took Andrew."  
  
"It was Janice," Ross said.  
  
"What?" Joey and Phoebe exclaimed simultaniously.  
  
"She attacked Rachel. She's a total nut."  
  
"What did the police say?"  
  
"They said that she may be so delusional that she has no idea she did something wrong. They don't think it will be hard to find her," Ross explained.  
  
"Wow," Phoebe said.  
  
"Mr. Geller?" A short, balding doctor entered the room slowly.  
  
"Yes?" Ross jumped up and approached the doctor.  
  
"Ms. Green is asking for you."  
  
"Okay," Ross said, and followed the doctor out of the room. He walked into Rachel's room, and smiled when he saw that she was sitting up.  
  
"Hey," Ross said, sitting on the edge of her bed.  
  
"Hey," Rachel replied.  
  
"How are you feeling?"  
  
"Okay. How's Monica?"  
  
"She's sleeping, I think."  
  
"I feel so horrible," Rachel said, a single tear falling from her eye.  
  
"Rach, it's not your fault. It's no one's fault. Let's just concentrate our energy on getting Andrew back, okay?"  
  
Rachel nodded silently.  
  
***  
  
Twenty four hours later, the police showed up at the hospital, with baby Andrew. They had Janice in custody, but she was insisting on talking to Chandler.   
  
"What does she want?" Chandler asked warily.  
  
"We're not sure. You don't have to talk to her," the officer replied.  
  
"No, I think I'd like to give her a piece of my mind," Chandler muttered. He handed his son to Joey, and followed the police officers out of the station and to a parked police car. The officers pulled a handcuffed Janice out of the car.  
  
"Janice," Chandler said crossly.  
  
"Hi Chandler," Janice said, staring at the ground.  
  
"What the hell were you thinking? Do you have any idea what you have done to Monica? And to me?"  
  
"I'm sorry, I just...I just wanted us to be a family."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I love you, Chandler Bing!"  
  
"Janice," Chandler sighed, his voice softening, "Please try and understand. You don't really love me. You love a characterization of me, a person that was created by the media. You don't even know me."  
  
"But we were going to have a baby!"  
  
"No, we weren't. Janice..." Chandler ran his hand through his hair, and sighed again.  
  
"Chandler, please, I can make you happy!"  
  
"Janice, I think you need help. I know you didn't mean Andrew any harm, but what you did was illegal. And you did hurt Rachel."  
  
"She wouldn't let me see Andy! It's not my fault, Chandler. She got in my way."  
  
"Okay. Look, I am gonna go. These men are going to take care of you now," Chandler said.  
  
"No! You can't leave me again, Chandler!"  
  
"I'm sorry," Chandler said, and turned to make his way back toward the hospital. He tried to block out Janice's desperate pleas, which momentarily melted into raging threats. Chandler closed his eyes, trying not to let the guilt climb up into his soul. He couldn't help but to feel somewhat responsible for Janice's slide into insanity. He made his way back up to the waiting room, and was happy to find that Monica was in the room, holding onto Andrew.  
  
"Hey," Chandler said softly, as he sat down next to Monica.  
  
"Hey," she whispered.  
  
"How are you feeling?"  
  
"I'm fine, now," Monica smiled, pulling Andrew closer. "Chandler, I'm sorry," she said.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I shouldn't have shut you out like that. I just...I didn't know how to deal with all of this."  
  
"You don't have to apologize, Mon. I thought...I thought maybe you blamed me for all of this."  
  
"Why would I blame you?"  
  
"Because...because of who I am. This would have never happened if..."  
  
"Chandler, I don't blame you. I never blamed you."  
  
Chandler nodded, but inside, the guilt over all of this was eating him up. He really coudn't imagine it getting any worse.  
  
***  
  
Chandler's album debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, and the debut single stayed atop the charts for five weeks. Chandler spent the following few weeks promoting the album in LA, New York, Seattle, San Francisco, Chicago, New Orleans, Houston, Denver, and Vancouver, then spent a week promoting it in Europe. By the time he returned from the promo tour, he was exhausted. Deep down, he was hoping that the album would bomb, so that he would have an excuse to get the band back together within the next year or so. Once he returned to New York, he couldn't help but to notice that Ross and Joey also seemed a bit put off by the idea that Chandler was so successful on his own. Chandler, unable to deal directly with the tension, set off on a US tour, spending a good part of the summer on the road. He took Monica and Andrew with him, and, on a stormy night in Las Vegas, Chandler made the decision to ask Monica the question he'd been meaning to ask for months.  
  
While Monica was putting Andrew to bed for the night, Chandler lit several strategically placed candles, and pulled a bucket of champagne out of the icebox. He put on some soft music, and paced nervously in front of the picture window that overlooked the glittering lights of Las Vegas Boulevard. He was so deep in nervous thought that he failed to hear Monica emerge from Andrew's bedroom.  
  
"What is all this?" Monica asked, startling Chandler.  
  
"Hey, uh, it's...something. C'mere," Chandler rambled nervously.  
  
Monica grinned and walked toward Chandler, stopping directly in front of him. He took her hand, and kissed it softly, before getting down on one knee. Monica grinned wildly, knowing from the moment she saw Chandler's nervous face, that he was going to propose.  
  
"Okay, um..." Chandler looked at Monica like he was scared of her, images of his last, clumsy proposal dancing in his head, tormenting him further.  
  
Monica smiled, and Chandler relaxed a bit. He took a deep breath, and continued.  
  
"Mon, I love you, you know that. And I know that I've asked you once before, but this time, I think I am ready...no, no I *know* I'm ready. Being out here on the road, without Ross and Joey and Rach and Phoebe, it makes me realize that this life...the life I've been leading, it's not half as important as you and Andrew are to me, and I...I want to...uh, God, why is this so hard?"  
  
"Chandler, are you asking me to marry you?"  
  
"Yes! Yes, will you? Will you marry me?"  
  
Monica laughed, and nodded enthusiastically. "Of course I will!"  
  
Chandler grinned, and stood up, picking Monica up as he straightened.  
  
"Thank God," he whispered, and kissed her passionately. Once they pulled apart, Monica looked at Chandler, amused by his visible relief.   
  
"Chandler, it's not that I wouldn't marry you without one, but, uh, are you wanting me to pick out the ring, or something?"  
  
"Oh, shit! Okay, no, I have a ring, I'm sorry," Chandler shook his head and pulled a box out of his pocket. He opened it to reveal a platinum ring, with diamonds and sapphires lining the band. It was easily the most beautiful ring Monica had ever seen. Monica giggled, as Chandler slipped the ring on her finger.  
  
"Sorry, I've had it for so long, a practially forgot about it," Chandler laughed.  
  
"It's okay. I can't wait to marry you," Monica laughed.  
  
"Well, we are in Vegas," Chander said, his eyebrows wiggling playfully.  
  
"True. And if we elope, we won't have to worry about media invasions."  
  
"Wait, are you serious? You want to get married here?"  
  
"Why not? But, uh, I do want to call my family."  
  
"Of course, of course. Look, we don't have to be in Pheonix until Tuesday. Why don't we do it day after tomorrow?"  
  
"Okay!"  
  
***  
  
Ross, Rachel, Joey and Phoebe were on the next available flight to Las Vegas. Judy, upset with Monica for eloping, refused to go to the wedding, thus, Jack was unable to attend. This upset Monica, who was hoping that her father would walk her down the aisle. In the end, Ross agreed to walk Monica down the aisle, making Chandler's decision for best man fairly easy.  
  
Chandler and Monica chose a small chapel on the outskirts of the city. Monica was able to find a simple, elegant dress in a short amount of time, and with a lot of help from Rachel. Much to Chandler's dismay, "Elvis" did not perform the ceremony. The ceremony was officiated by a local judge, who performed weddings in the chapel as a side job. It was a short, sweet ceremony, and was over before Monica knew it.  
  
"Let's go celebrate!" Rachel exclaimed.  
  
"Vegas Baybee!" Joey said.  
  
The group laughed and headed out of the chapel, only to be met by a slew of anxious reporters. The group quickly backed up into the chapel, and shut the doors.  
  
"How the hell did they find out about this?" Chandler asked, looking at the others.  
  
"I don't know!" Ross said, then thought for a minute. "Oh...Mom," Ross concluded.  
  
"You think she tipped off the media?" Monica said angrily.  
  
"Of course! She's mad at you for eloping, and mad at Chandler for going solo," Ross shrugged.  
  
Chandler shot Ross a look, then turned to the Judge.  
  
"Is there a back way out of here?"  
  
"Yeah, but I'm afraid the media has this place surrounded. You are either gonna have to talk to them, or get comfortable," the Judge replied.  
  
"Dammit," Chandler muttered. "Okay, Ross, you guys take Andrew and make a run for it. Monica and I will distract the paparazzi."  
  
"Okay," Ross muttered, as he, Rachel, Joey and Phoebe prepared to run out the door.  
  
"Here we go," Chandler said, as they swung open the chapel doors.  
  
They were met with a flood of flashing light, and reporters from all over the country shouting questions at them.  
Ross, Rachel, Joey and Phoebe pushed their way through the crowd, protecting Andrew with a blanket. The media practially ignored them, focusing only on the newlyweds. Chandler scanned the crowd, his eyes falling on a familiar face from the not-so-distant past. He smiled, and moved to say something, but froze when he saw the man pull out a gun.  
  
Chandler moved to protect Monica, as several gunshots rang out. The paparazzi scattered, and Monica and Chandler fell to the ground.   
  
*  
  
The gunman turned to run, but was tripped up by Joey, who tackled him with full force. As the reporters who had stayed nearby started to come out of their shock, they began snapping photos of Joey, as he struggled to keep a hold of the shooter. Nearby, more reporters had surrounded Monica and Chandler.  
  
Monica pulled herself up, dizzy from hitting the ground so hard. She looked down at her white wedding dress, and saw that it was covered in blood. She took a deep shaky breath, then looked around for Chandler. He was lying two feet away, his body contorted into a twisted heap. Monica crawled toward Chandler, ignoring the flashes from the paparazzi cameras. She turned Chandler over, and saw that, to her horror, he had been hit by most of the bullets. She layed his head in her lap, and looked up into the crowd of strangers.  
  
"Ross!" she screamed, and in mere seconds, her brother was at her side.  
  
"Mon, there you are! Are you okay?"  
  
"Yeah, it's Chandler. Get some help, please!" she cried, then looked down at Chandler, trying desperately to wake him up.  
  
"Please, baby, please stay with me. Please," she cried, rocking his lifeless body back and forth, and kissing his bloodied forehead. "Please, Chandler. Please."  
  
****  
  
uuuuhhhgh. I am sick of this fic. i'm sure you are too. The next Chapter will be an epilogue. 


	19. Where Are They Now?

Okay all, this is the last part of the series. Thank you for all the great comments and reviews! I know many of you wanted to see me continue, but I am just burned out on this fic, and I'd rather end it before it turns into total and utter crapola. However, if any of you are interested in adopting the fic and writing new stories, shoot me an e.mail.  
  
That being said...this fic is set up like an episode of "Where Are They Now?" also on Vh1. Basically, it is set up very similarly to the Behind the Music fics, with a narrator and interviews. (Uh, it may be a good idea to go back and read those Behind the Music ones if you haven't, as they will now come into play here.)  
  
~*~  
  
The One Where They Make It, Epilogue  
"Where Are They Now?"  
  
~June, 2022~  
  
**Narrator: They were once the biggest band in the world, selling millions upon millions of records. They rode the wave of fame with grace and humour, and relied on strong friendships and an undying loyalty to keep them going strong. Tonight, we will take a look back at the band, and the crazy ride through fame that gave them fortune, glory, and tragedy. We'll look at old clips, talk to the band, and see where they are today.   
This is PMQ then...and now.  
  
**Opening Sequence**  
  
**Narrator: They grew from a small college band into one of the biggest groups of their generation. At the height of their popularity, they made millions of dollars, littered the charts with hit after hit, and sold out stadiums around the world. While they continued to rock the world, the members of the band all managed to find love within their own ranks. Lead singer Chandler Bing fell for the band's longtime manager, Monica Geller, and guitarist Ross Geller fell in love with the band's wardrobe designer, Rachel Green. In the most surprising twist in the band's story, womanizing drummer Joey Tribianni fell hard for a woman he met backstage at one of the band's New York shows. Phoebe Buffay, a professor of Literature at New York University, had reluctently accompanied some friends to the show, and had, ironically, caught Tribianni's eye. They were married only months later. The band seemed to be riding a wave of fantastic luck and popularity. But behind the scenes, the world of PMQ was beginning to unravel.  
  
When we return, the death threats and dramatic changes that marked the beginning of the end.  
  
**Commercial**  
  
**Narrator: During their tour for the multi-platinum and Grammy winning album "Perrenial", the band was forced to deal with a constant and very real threat on their lives. An unpublisized bomb scare in Salt Lake City was followed months later by an apparent lighting sabotage and a suspicious poisening of Chandler Bing. While the FBI continued their investigation, the band continued touring in support of their record, despite rumours of a break up. As the tour came to a close, tabloids revealed that the band's manager, Monica Geller, was pregnant, and that Chandler was the father. While the band refused to acknowledge the rumours at first, Bing later confirmed the rumour, sending the media and the fans into a frenzy. The pregnancy marked the end of the band's long-running reign on the pop charts, as the members of the band called it quits in 2001.  
  
**Ross Geller: At the time, the band just didn't seem that important. Chandler and Monica were about to become parents, and we were all becoming more committed to our personal lives.  
  
**Monica Geller-Bing: A lot of people still think that the break-up was Chandler's decision, and that he did it because of me. In actuality, the decision was a mutual one. The entire band was ready to move on at that point.  
  
**Narrator: Their 2001 break up was the top news story in almost every country in the world. But mere months after the break up, rumours about a reunion flooded internet chatrooms and message boards. The talk made it's way to the mass media, and, in an interview in the Spring of 2002, Chandler Bing did nothing to quell the rumours.  
  
~The Late Show With David Letterman, April 2002~  
  
Letterman: So, you are solo now, all on your own.  
  
Bing: Yeah  
  
Letterman: Any, uh, any chance of you gettin back together with the other guys?  
  
Bing: Sure, there's always a chance. It certainly isn't the same out there without them.  
  
Letterman: Will we, uh, be seeing all of you together again soon?  
  
Bing: I certainly hope so!  
  
~  
  
**Narrator: The rumours caused a near media frenzy. But all of that came to a crashing halt, in the now infamous Summer of 2002, when Phil Vincent, the band's original drummer, pulled out a gun, and shot Chandler Bing outside the chapel where he had just married his longtime girlfriend, Monica Geller-Bing. The media, already in Las Vegas for the wedding, stood by, shocked, as Chandler's family and friends struggled to save him. On July 18, 2002, the world stood in a shocked silence, as The Announcement hit the airwaves.  
  
~NBC News Headquarters, Thursday, July 18, 2002, 8:05 pm, Eastern Standard Time~  
  
**Tom Brokaw: We interrupt your regularly scheduled program to bring you some rather shocking news from the world of music. Chandler Bing, the former lead singer of the rock group PMQ was shot in front of a wedding chapel in Las Vegas, Nevada, just forty-five minutes ago. He was pronouced dead at the Desert Springs Hospital in Las Vegas at about 4:45 pm, Pacific Standard Time, or 7:45 pm, Eastern Standard Time. He was killed as he left a Las Vegas wedding chapel. I'm afraid, that--there's nothing more to say.  
  
(AN: Don't hate me! Don't hate me! Don't hate me! I wanted this to be a truly tragic Rock & Roll story...please keep reading, and don't flame me for killing him!!!)  
  
**Narrator: The days that followed Chandler's shocking murder were filled with a strange mixture of chaotic turmoil and stunned grief. Fans flocked to both the Las Vegas Chapel, and Chandler's New York home, to pay homage to the man and his music. Meanwhile, the man responsible for the murder confessed to previous attempts on Bing's life, including the bomb scare in Salt Lake City, and the poisening incident in Sacramento, California. In a statement made to police, Vincent claimed that Chandler had kicked him out of the band, because Vincent had fessed up to an affair with Bing's ex-girlfriend, Kathy Rigby. Rigby denies Vincent's claims, saying that he had been infatuated with her, but nothing ever came of it. Ross Geller and Chris Salman have also since stated that Phil Vincent left the group willingly.  
  
In nearly every country in the world, candle-light vigils were held in town squares and on neighborhood sidewalks, a testiment to the popularity of the band. While the world mourned the loss of a musician, those closest to him mourned the loss of a bandmate, a friend, a brother, a husband, and a father.  
  
**Ross Geller: We were devestated. None of us knew how to cope with it, and it was hard to avoid all of it. I mean, the footage of the shooting was everywhere. I think we blacked out all tv, radio and internet for a solid month. We all ended up staying and Joey and Phoebe's house for a long time. We didn't want to be apart, and, poor Mon, she couldn't even really get into her house anyway, what with all of the fans camped out there.  
  
**Monica Geller-Bing: It's the toughest thing I have ever had to go through. I spent a lot of time being angry, sad, and lost. I am very lucky that I had such a strong support system around me at the time.  
  
**Narrator: It has been twenty years since Chandler's death, and in those twenty years, the face of music has changed dramatically. But no matter what kind of music they play, almost all of today's young band's credit PMQ as their inspiration.  
  
**Chad Shular, lead singer of Graft*: Yeah, man, PMQ. They are like the Rock Gods, and we just, you know, live in their world. Yeah.  
  
**Narrator: No one has been influenced by the music of PMQ more than Chandler's own flesh and blood. Now twenty-one years old, Andrew Bing has begun to come into his own in the music world, though his father's influence is evident in his music. Although he has no memory of his father, Andrew has grown up listening to his music, and has learned about Chandler through his friends, and through Monica.  
  
**Monica Geller-Bing: I have always made sure that Chandler was a large part of Andrew's life. I knew that he would be exposed to the music, but I wanted to make sure that Andrew knew the man as well.  
  
**Narrator: When we continue, a look at the members of PMQ today.  
  
  
**Commercial**  
  
  
**Narrator: It has been twenty years since Chandler's death, and since then his bandmates and best friends have established impressive lives and careers. Joey and Phoebe Tribianni now have two children, Robert, nineteen, and Anna, sixteen. Joey continues to produce albums for other artists, but has found a new career in acting. A once skeptical Hollywood audience had no choice but to embrace the musician-turned-actor, when he was nominated for an Academy Award eight years ago.  
  
**Joey Tribianni: It's always tough to cross over from singing to acting, and vice versa. People in the industry are always a little hostile to the idea. I found that fighting to prove myself was what made me a better actor.  
  
**Narrator: While Joey strayed from music, Ross Geller has stayed deep in the industry. Two years after Chandler's murder, Ross established his own band, Neutron, and managed to record four chart-topping albums before the band's demise three years ago. Geller has since created his own record label, and has managed to sign some of today's hottest acts. As for his personal life, Geller, a recovering alcoholic, suffered a short relapse in the fall of 2002. The relapse threatened to ruin his relationship with longtime girlfriend Rachel Green, but she refused to give up on him.  
  
**Ross Geller: I would have never made it without Rach. She's my rock, and thanks to her, I haven't touched alcohol in almost twenty years.  
  
**Rachel Geller: He's much, much stronger than he thinks he is.  
  
**Narrator: Ross and Rachel were married in the winter of 2003, and had four children together; Ashley, nineteen, Gregory, fifteen, Emily, twelve, and Joshua, ten. The family still resides in New York, living very close to the Tribbiani family, with whom they spend most major holidays with.  
  
**Phoebe Tribianni: We are basically one big family.  
  
**Narrator: Monica Geller-Bing never remarried. She used her husband's name and part of his fortune to open several music schools in the tri-state area. Her goal was to bring music to kids who had little access to the expensive training and intruments. The Bing Schools are now some of the most well-known and respected schools in the nation. In addition to the schools, Monica has ensured that PMQ's legacy is safe and secure. She owns all rights to the songs her late husband wrote, and, in a savvy marketing strategy, she bought the Vegas chapel where she and Chandler were married.   
  
**Monica Geller-Bing: A year before I bought the chapel, it had been turned into some kind of museum and memorial. There are always fans out front, lighting candles and things. I just thought that it would be better if we could have some control over what they do with that building.  
  
**Narrator: The legacy of the band and the music is indesputable. And the scandals and tragedies that surrounded the band made instant-celebrities out of the people who wanted to destroy them. When "Where Are They Now?" continues, we'll look at the lives of the people surrounding one of the century's most popular acts.  
  
**Commercial**  
  
**Narrator: Several people used the band to further their own aganda's, and none more than Janice Stein and Phil Vincent. Vincent's role in the fate of the band is now well known. He was convicted of murder in the first degree, and sentenced to life in prison, with no possibility of parole. He was only in prison for a few months before being beaten to death by his fellow inmates. Vincent's attorney has since said that his client's murder was inevitable, given the publicity surrounding the murder, and the popularity of the victim.   
  
As for Stein, her attempts to win Chandler Bing's heart were well publisized and much talked about. Following the abduction of baby Andrew Bing in the winter of 2002, Janice was committed to Bellevue Medical Center in New York, where she suffered a severe breakdown following Chandler's murder. She has since been released, and lives a quiet, nondescript life in Miami, Florida. Requests for an interview with "Where Are They Now?" were turned down.  
  
**Phoebe Tribianni: It's sad, and a little strange. I mean, I may not have ever met Joey had I not gone to that show. And she was the person that saved me and Joey from that accident we'd had soon after we'd started dating. We all kind of knew she was obsessed...we just had no idea how far it would go.  
  
**Narrator: The story of the band reads like a classic Greek tragedy. But after all is said and done, it has always been the music that has kept the band alive, and it's the music that made the band what they were. Their legacy will not live in an old Vegas chapel, or in all of the books and movies that have been made about the band. Their legacy will live in their music. This week, PMQ's label, Metaphorical Tunnel Records, along with the surviving members of the band, are releasing a long awaited "Best Of" collection, featuring the band's biggest hits, as well as some previously un-released tracks. It's a fitting tribute, to one of the greatest bands in Rock & Roll.  
  
  
*I made up that band Graft, and uh, I made up Janice's last name. Did she ever have a last name? dunno.  
  
~*~  
  
Oooookay. That's it. I am done. Like I said, you can e-mail me if you wish to adopt this fic. I'm sure there are more stories here, I just can't do it. Thanks for all the reviews...please let me know what you think of this one! 


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